


Rotten to the Core

by PerkyGoth14



Series: Descendants of Storybrooke [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 107,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26480104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerkyGoth14/pseuds/PerkyGoth14
Summary: Malissa Ignus AKA Mal has moved away from her precious former home and settled into a new place called Auradon Heights. She is anything but thrilled about the change and meeting new people, not to mention going to a children's ultimate torture chamber: the pressures of high school. Join Mal as she makes new friends and learns new experiences in her brand new environment.
Series: Descendants of Storybrooke [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982261
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

"Well, it looks like we're all moved in..." A blonde woman who was dressed in mostly black smiled as she stepped into a simple home that was in an apartment building.

She looked all around the room that was mostly bright and had a living room area with a couch with a TV there and behind was the kitchen with a stove, microwave, fridge, and cupboards and of course the bathroom and a door across the bathroom door was the bedroom. There were a few personal touches to make it feel more like home as there was no place like home.

"Don't you think so, dear?" The woman smiled at her daughter who had dark hair that had purple streaks in it as she rolled her eyes and looked already annoyed.

"This place sucks..." The girl spat out to her mother. "What was wrong with our old home?"

"Malissa Bertha Ignus, don't you use that tone with me," Her mother replied firmly as she narrowed her eyes. "This change will be good for you, especially after what happened back home."

"My name is Mal." The girl muttered bitterly as she hated being called "Malissa".

"What am I going to do with you?" Mal's mother sighed and shook her head. "Look, Mal, I know you're going to miss Moor Isles, but you'll see... Things are going to change for the better and when your father comes home-"

"He's _never_ coming home," Mal narrowed her emerald green eyes. "He left because of what happened to Lily."

"What happened to your sister is no one fault and your father will catch up with us eventually," Mal's mother replied thickly. "Now just try to cheer up and make the most of it. Auradon Heights is your home now and you will start school on Monday and make some new friends. It'll be a lot of fun, Malissa, you'll see..."

Mal just grumbled in annoyance as she stared out the window, feeling very irked already. She came closer to the window and stared out into the new world around her and her mother as she sighed sharply. They came from Moor Isles... That was always home to Mal and she felt that it should always be. It felt so simple when she was around the age of 10... So full of hope and wonder until her life changed.

Mal had an older sister named Lily who she was very close to. Lily was always listening to their mother and was often a very good student, though she had a bit of a dark side sometimes, especially with some new friends she made. Their father was always around then too and he often sang songs and entertained the girls, being a lot more fun and loose than their mother. Mal often believed that he left the family to start a career of becoming a rockstar and make something of his name than just "Mr. Ignus" or "Ciara's husband". Eventually, the family was struck by some sort of tragedy...

Lily was going with some friends to go to a concert one weekend and promised to be back by Sunday afternoon. She left Friday night, leaving Mal alone with their mother. Mal and her mother had a bit of a complicated relationship. Sure, when Mal was much younger, she clung to her mother, but she felt closer with her father than her mother and usually looked up to her older sister and saw her as the best role model she could ever have. Lily hadn't been heard from since Friday night all those years ago and the police had soon come to the door the very next night saying that there was an accident and Lily hadn't survived.

Mal and Lily's father didn't seem to take the accident well. Mal didn't know much of why or how her father left, but she remembered him yelling at her mother before he stormed off and left in his truck and drove away, never turning back. After the very grim funeral, Mal was very gray and crushed, unable to feel happiness again, though she still missed the world she grew up in and was raised in, but no. They had to leave the good life and come to a crappy new start in a place called Auradon Heights in the middle of who cares? Mal was suddenly pulled out of her reverie as there was a knocking at the door.

* * *

"Hello," A woman with short black hair smiled as she came to the door with a basket filled with juicy red apples as she stepped inside. "I heard that there were new people in town so I thought I'd stop by."

"Ah, yes..." Mal's mother nodded. "My name is Ciara Ignus... And you are...?"

"Regina... Regina Mills," The other woman replied. "I'm the mayor, so I thought I'd give you a 'Welcome to your new home' gift if you don't mind."

"Well, hello, Mayor Mills, please come inside," Ciara replied as she stepped inside to let the woman inside. "This is my daughter... Malissa..." she then said as she grabbed her daughter by her shoulders and made her come meet the adult woman who stepped inside. "Malissa, this is our mayor, Regina Mills."

"...Hi." Mal mumbled out as she looked up at the adult woman.

"Malissa... What a lovely name..." Regina remarked as she looked down at the girl. "Oh, you're going to love staying in Auradon Heights. It's such a wonderful place and neighborhood. Say... How old are you?"

"I'll be 16 in January." Mal forced herself to say, though she really didn't feel like talking to anyone right now.

"What a small world!" Regina smiled warmly. "My little Evelyn will be 16 in February. You'll almost be like twins."

"Oh, you have a daughter, Mayor Mills?" Ciara asked the other woman.

"Please, call me Regina," Regina replied with a small smile. "And yes, I do. Her name is Evelyn, hopefully, your daughter can go to school with her. I also have a son who just turned 10 in August. His name's Henry."

"Hear that, Malissa?" Ciara beamed at her daughter. "A new friend for you to make. You'll have so much to talk about."

Mal just rolled her eyes in disgust. Why do parents always assume that just because you're the same age as a potential new friend that you'll have lots in common?

"Do you like apples?" Regina asked Ciara as she took one out in the palm of her hand. "I just love apples. I have my own apple tree in my front yard, you know."

"Really!" Ciara smiled. "That must be fun for you. Do you have many apple recipes?"

"I make a mean apple turnover," Regina smiled back and winked. "You'll have to try it sometime. I insist you come over for dinner sometime with me and my family."

"Ooh, that'll be fun, won't it, Malissa?" Ciara beamed, clearly the only one excited in the room as she lightly shook Mal by her shoulders. "Huh? Huh?"

"...I guess." Mal just shrugged.

"Well, I'll let you get settled," Regina grinned, showing her polished smile that was just as polished as her ripe and juicy apples. "I hope you both have a fun time and experience in our humble little town."

"Thank you, Regina," Ciara nodded. "We appreciate it."

"Whatever." Mal muttered sourly.

"Language, young lady." Ciara warned firmly.

Regina left them a couple of apples to show her appreciation and gratitude in meeting them and soon walked off to let them get to it.

"Oh, Malissa, this is going to be quite the adventure," Ciara said to her daughter. "Plus you'll start a new school very soon. Won't that be fun?"

Mal just sighed sharply. "Sure... Fun like forcing me to get out of bed at 6:00 in the morning on the weekend to tell me that we were moving away from someplace cool and moving into someplace cheesy," she then rolled her eyes. "What was wrong with our old home?"

"Malissa-"

Mal rolled her eyes.

"Fine... _Mal_..." Ciara then corrected herself so to appease her daughter. "I know you're upset about your father and the move, but I just thought we could both use a little change of atmosphere. You were quite the troublemaker back home, so I thought a new home and a new school and some new friends might change that. You have been a bit bad."

"Not bad, Mom," Mal smirked. "Just rotten... Rotten to the core."

"Very funny, young lady," Ciara replied. "Besides, we're here now and I think it's time you learn to accept that. Just don't try to get kicked out of this school, huh? It's a very nice school."

"Oh, sure, I bet I'll get along just fine with snooty students with their noses in the air and their panties bunched up into their uniforms," Mal rolled her eyes. "Couldn't you have at least enrolled me in a school that had purple in its uniform color? I mean... Blue and yellow? ...Yellow is the opposite of purple!"

"I know it'll be a struggle, but I'm sure once you get into school, it'll work out just fine," Ciara said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed her cheek. "Just try to enjoy it, sweetie."

Mal groaned and rolled her eyes before sighing a bit sadly. She soon came into her new bedroom which she luckily got to have designed in her own way: black walls with purple accents, a nice dulling gray bed with posters of her favorite things, and her window had a view of the whole town from outside. She came over to the window and stared out it as she watched the people out go about their business before she bowed her head with a lot to think about.

* * *

On the other side of town, was a boy with a mop of brown hair on his head with hazel eyes as he looked out his bedroom window. He seemed to have a lot on his mind too. They lived in a nice house that was almost like a mansion, but of course, it could not compare to the mansion of Madam Mayor: Regina Mills with her children: Evie and Henry. There lived the French family. The father engaging in politics with Regina, the mother owning her own bookstore, and their children.

A dark brown-haired man with light brown eyes soon came inside his room after knocking and he chuckled at the boy. "There's my little boy," he then said with a chuckle. "How are you going to be a high school junior? You're just a baby!"

"Heh... I'm 16, Dad..." The boy corrected with a chuckle. "You were there when I asked if I could have a car when I was still 15 for my birthday."

"Oh, that's right," The man smiled as he then hugged his son in a tight bear-hug. "Ooh, you're growing up so fast... My son will be a senior next year. How do ya feel?"

"Almost like King of the World, but not just yet," The boy smiled bashfully. "I guess I'm just wondering what the new school year will bring?"

"Well, dear," A brown-haired woman with blue eyes spoke up as she walked by with a book. "If I know you and your school, it'll be very interesting. Especially with another year with that little girlfriend of yours, Audrey." she then added, seeming to be trying to be polite when she said the girl's name, though something was hidden.

"Yeah, Mom... I know..." The boy sighed.

"Oh, Benjamin, I don't mean to judge, but that Audrey girl is a bit of a handful," The woman said to her son. "You've known her since Kindergarten when you had the 64 pack of crayons with a sharpener in the box. She seems to be impressed easily with very big things."

"Believe me, Mom, I know," Ben said softly. "I'm sure she'll turn around eventually though. I just know deep down though that this year is going to be a big one at The Walter Elias Academy."

"And don't you forget it," Adam, the man of the house, nodded at his son as he wrapped his arm around his wife. "We were proud students there... We were the Homecoming King and Queen and perhaps you could be king too someday."

"Me? A king?" Ben laughed. "Come on, Dad, I'm not into that sorta thing."

"It might be fun," Adam insisted. "That's how I got together with your mother."

"Well, that and you were much more of a gentleman than Gaston LeGume," The mother smirked at her husband. "You were so handsome that night and were more promising than that jock who wanted me to have six or seven sons with him. Luckily for me though, he got over it and hooked up with that cheerleader."

"This is just filling me with confidence, Mom and Dad..." Ben remarked dryly and bashfully.

"The point is, you will do great," The boy's mother who was named Belle, who definitely lived up to her name of "Beauty", reassured. "It's only junior year and then one more year before you'll be on top of the school only if you remember that it isn't all fun and games."

"I know, Mom," Ben smiled. "Besides, I have to make a good example as a big brother and a role model."

"Thatta boy." Adam smiled back proudly.

Speaking of being a big brother though, a young girl with long brown hair and blue eyes darted right over with a colorful piece of paper in her hand. "Benny! Benny!" she piped up. This girl was the younger daughter of Belle and Adam and Ben's younger sister, who was soon to be in fourth grade. "I drew this for you."

"Aww... My own picture?" Ben smiled before he opened up the paper to see that it was a crayon drawing card of the two of them together. "Aww... Clarice... I love it!"

"Maybe you can put it in your locker." Clarice smiled back hopefully.

"I most certainly will!" Ben smiled as he bent down to his younger sister's height to hug her and kiss her on the cheek. "Mrs. Ryder must be a very proud art teacher."

Clarice giggled and beamed in excitement. Belle and Adam smiled fondly in endearment. Ben smiled all around to his family, he was sure this school year would be as interesting as the others, but he couldn't help but feel that something was going to rapidly change very soon.

* * *

Eventually, the weekend faded away into a brand new day which was... Monday: the first day of school. Mal was awake and was staring herself in the mirror of her new school uniform which she hated upon arrival and especially with how she looked in it. She missed her jacket and clothes that made her feel comfortable. Especially the jacket that she was often too small for, but now fit perfectly into, as her father put it "She'll grow into it". A dull, yet light blue collared top with a darker blue jacket wrapped around her with the school's crest on it, a blue plaid skirt, blue socks that reached up to her knee with black Mary Janes. She had woken up on her own because her mother asked her to and her mother seemed to be gone that morning for Lord knows why. There was then a rapid knocking at the door just as Mal began to ponder how and where she would get to school when she didn't know where to find it and she soon came to the door and opened it to see a familiar face from the other day.

"Madam Mayor..." Mal greeted, remembering hearing some people refer to Regina as such.

"Hello there, Malissa," Regina greeted back while Mal resisted trying to roll her eyes from that. "Your mother asked me to escort you to school today with Evelyn and Henry. I hope that's okay."

"Well... I guess I have no other choice to accept otherwise I'll just sleep my first day of school away." Mal shrugged.

"Excellent choice," Regina said. "I hope that you're ready to go."

"Ready as I'll ever be..." Mal stated before she grabbed her backpack and followed the woman out the apartment door and she locked it with the key she had.

Both females were quiet for the most part and they soon made it to the car which was a black 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SL R107. There was a young boy in the backseat who seemed to be reading a book about fairy tales which made Mal roll her eyes as she opened up the door next to him and went to claim the open seat as the front seat was occupied by a fellow teenage girl who had dark hair with light brown eyes. She glanced to the backseat, giving a small smile and wave while Mal just waved back, not sure what to say or do really.

"You must be Malissa." The girl spoke up.

"You must be Evelyn." Mal replied.

"I hate the name Evelyn..."

"Well, guess what? I hate the name Malissa... Call me 'Malissa' and you die."

"I could probably say the same thing about being called Evelyn," The other girl said with a humored smirk. "Why don't you call me 'Evie'?"

"...Okay, Evie," Mal soon said slowly to get a taste for the name. "...Call me Mal."

Eventually, Regina came into the driver's seat and smiled. "Buckle up, everyone," she then said. "A new school day awaits."

"Yaaaay..." Mal and Evie snarked excitement before they shared a smirk with each other.

"Teenagers... Always so amusing..." Regina rolled her eyes a bit before she started the car and soon went to drive off to take the kids to school for the day while she would be at work.

Mal simply stared out the window as she took in more sights of Auradon Heights, wondering what her new life would bring.


	2. Chapter 2

Eventually, the car stopped as Regina pulled up to the school. Evie was applying make-up for what felt like the hundredth time which just made Mal roll her eyes and Henry just focused on his book like he was unaware of the world all around him. 

"We're here, kids," Regina smiled. "Evelyn dear, I do hope that you can help show Malissa around properly."

"Sure, Mom," Evie replied as she clamped her compact mirror shut after puckering her lips, having applied lipstick as red as a fresh apple. "Come on, let's go to school, Malissa."

Mal rolled her emerald eyes as she hated that name so much. "Malissa Bertha"... Just more examples of her mother being cruel since her birth. Eventually, the kids got out of school and Henry looked up as the doors closed shut and he took his cue to come out of the car too, but not before giving his mother a goodbye kiss.

"Goodbye, dears," Regina smiled at Henry and Evie. "I love you both so much."

"Bye, Mom." Henry and Evie replied as they got out of the car and Mal went to join them.

Mal stepped out of the car and soon looked up and over at the school... The Walter Elias Academy... The major and most known preparatory school in all of Auradon Heights. How she was able to get in a school filled with stuck-up and snotty nerds, she would never know. The uniforms... The higher education... It was a lot different from regular school, though she knew that she would be dead or homeschooled before Prom Night anyway. Evie smiled at Henry as she went to walk him inside the school, holding his hand as he clutched his special book in his free arm. Mal looked over at them and soon decided to follow them since she had nowhere else to really go right now. 

"I'll catch up with you a little later, Mal," Evie said to her possible new friend. "I have to get Henry to Ms. Blanchard's class. You don't mind though, right?"

"Sure... Why would I mind?" Mal rolled her eyes. 

Evie nodded and soon walked off, taking Henry by the hand as she went to take him to his class. 

"Well... Here goes nuthin'..." Mal gulped as she took a deep breath as she wandered into the school.

Everything seemed large and spacious to the dark-haired girl. Especially with how Evie just vanished with Henry and there were so many new faces. It was a bit overwhelming, even for a strange new teenager in a strange new land. High school was a jungle after all and only the fittest survive and the weaker students get brushed aside and swept up under the rug like yesterday's garbage or receiving a royal flush from the mean girls. 

"Well, this is definitely bigger than my old school..." Mal said as she stepped into the hallway as it looked very easy to get lost, not to mention her voice felt like it echoed throughout the hallway.

There were many other students there who were talking and hanging around the lockers until class started while Evie seemed to disappear within the crowd with her little brother. A lot of the students stared at Mal and began to whisper to each other about how they didn't know who she was and how they had never seen her before. Mal just narrowed her eyes at the stares and whispers as she wandered into the hallway, wondering where to go before she yelped and ran into a door that belonged to the Headmistress's office. 

The bell soon rang which summoned the students away suddenly and they seemed to scamper all around. Mal shuddered and shivered at how fast they all seemed like their lives depended on making it over to class on time. Mal watched them take off like a herd of wild animals on the run from a bigger and mightier predator who hunted for fresh meat. She then turned around to the door and gulped as she decided to go there as it was probably a good idea to visit there since had no idea of where to go now. At least she found it, right? She soon took another deep breath and then knocked on the door.

* * *

"Yes?~" A merry and cheerful voice answered from the other side of the door. "I believe you have class to go to, dear~"

"Uh... Hello?" Mal spoke up as she opened the door and stepped into the office, though she was surprised to see a warm, cheerful, and jovial faced woman behind the door as she expected to see some sort of Dragon Lady who lived off of the misery of small children. "I'm new here, actually... I don't know where my class is."

"Ah, yes, we were expecting a new student today, dear," The woman then smiled and nodded, speaking warm and cheery like she was the living embodiment of sugar, spice, and everything nice. "Please... Why don't you come in and have a seat? Golly! You must be so confused."

"You have no idea, lady..." Mal muttered as she sat down comfortably.

"I heard that, dear," The woman said with a small frown, though it didn't last long, she still sounded very cheerful and friendly, even if she was the opposite of happy. "My name is Farah Fairgood, but you should address me as 'Ms. Fairgood' or 'Headmistress Fairgood', and don't you forget those titles, young lady. Do I make myself clear?"

"Uh, yes, ma'am..." Mal nodded bashfully. "S-Sorry, ma'am."

"Very good," The woman nodded back once she got the jist. "So glad that you understand now," she then noticed something. "Oh, my good golly gosh! Where are your parents?"

"I guess Mom was busy," Mal shrugged. "Mayor Mills drove me to school with her son and daughter."

"Oh... I see... I figured your mother would at least be here... Especially on your first day of school..." Headmistress Fairgood replied softly. "Well, I suppose I should call down a student to show you around here and make sure that you're comfortable on your first week of school. If that's all right with you, dear."

"Sure..." Mal shrugged.

"Ahem..." Headmistress Fairgood cleared her throat as she pushed her call button to announce something over the intercom. "Attention, please... Jane Fairgood report to my office, please? Jane Fairgood, report to my office."

"Fairgood?" Mal repeated. "You two related or something."

"Ah, yes," Headmistress Fairgood smiled as she made the announcement all over the school. "My darling little angel... My baby girl... My special little princess... My Jane."

Mal forced a smile back to be as polite as her mental capacity would allow her to.

* * *

After a few moments, a shy and nervous girl with brown hair with a big blue bow in her hair arrived. She looked a lot younger than she actually was which made Mal believe that she was around Henry's age at first, but no... This girl was her and Evie's age, she was a teenager. 

"Y-You wanted to see me, Mom--I mean, Headmistress Fairgood?" The girl asked, nearly sounding as quiet as a mouse.

"Mom... That makes sense..." Mal remarked to herself quietly.

"Yes, I did, Jane," Headmistress Fairgood smiled at the girl and once Mal looked back and forth at the two, she could definitely see a slight resemblance between the two. "Would you be a dear and show our new student Malissa Ignus around the school? I guess her parents couldn't make it, so I trust you to show Malissa around and help get her adjusted."

"Oh, uh, s-s-sure, Mom..." Jane nodded nervously. "Ma'am... I-I suppose I could do that."

"I'm sure you could, dear," Headmistress Fairgood beamed. "Now if any of your teachers ask, just tell them you had to do me a favor and I'm sure you won't get detention. You never had, even when you were in the primary hallway, though you started school late since you weren't just ready to outgrow diapers just before Kindergarten."

"MOM!" Jane's eyes widened as she turned bright red in the face.

"Oh, wow." Mal muttered to herself as a small smirk formed, but she couldn't bring herself to laugh at Jane's embarrassment.

"Have a good tour, Miss Ignus," Headmistress Fairgood beamed. "With Jane as your guide, you're in good hands."

"Good to know." Mal shrugged.

"Oh! And by the way," Headmistress Fairgood said before she took out a sheet of paper which was printed out and she gave it to Mal. "This will be your schedule for this semester. You'll get a good idea of what to expect next semester before Winter Break."

"Uh, thanks." Mal said as she took the paper.

"Now go," Headmistress Fairgood smiled. "Have a happy and healthy and wholesome day and school year, dear!" she then called out as Jane groaned at her mother's constant perkiness as Mal just tuned most of it out, though it seemed nice to see a kindly mother figure in one's life. 

The two girls soon left the office and wandered into the hallways. Mal groaned as she just wanted to get this day done and over with while Jane looked very meek and nervous around the new girl, especially since she had a bit of bad girl written all over her body.

* * *

Eventually, the tour began as Mal took a look at her new school schedule which was bound to be an interesting one. A lot more than back home anyway, especially since it was more of an inner-city school which felt more like a prison than a school like this one. 

"So, uh, Malissa?"

"Please, call me Mal... Malissa is too formal and dehumanizing."

"Uh... Very well... Mal..." Jane then said, trying her best to smile warmly, though she just had nerves taking over. "How long has it been since you moved into Auradon Heights?"

"Last week," Mal shrugged. "My mother just moved us without asking for my consent and wants me to be a model citizen so I don't get into trouble like my sister."

"Oh... You have a sister?" Jane smiled curiously. "Where is she? Is she in college now?"

"...Sure, why not?" Mal shrugged, though that seemed to be a lie.

Jane frowned as she noticed how strange that answer seemed, but decided not to bring it up anymore. "Uh, let's take a look at your schedule." she then suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Mal shrugged again as she peeked at the sheet of paper that was made just for her.

_**Homeroom with Mrs. Belfrey** _

_**Science with Mr. Deley** _

_**English Class with Ms. Porter** _

_**Physical Education with Coach Jenkins** _

_**LUNCH BREAK** _

_**Art with Mrs. Gardener** _

_**FREE PERIOD** _

_**History with Mr. Thatch** _

"Oh..." Jane smiled. "That looks like a good schedule. We have some classes in common... Maybe we'll see each other."

"Hmm..." Mal just shrugged in response.

Jane soon showed Mal all around the school and where her classes were and promised to help keep an eye on her during her first week. Mal tuned out most of what Jane was saying as she proved to be as chatty as her mother when she felt comfortable enough. It also disturbed her how Jane mentioned if Mal wanted, she could come over after school and they could maybe brush each other's hair and talk about rainbows... Or something like that. Mal then yelped as she ran into someone in the hallway and they both fell down on the floor suddenly.

"Watch it!" Mal complained.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." The other student said nervously.

"Are you okay, Maliss--I mean Mal?" Jane asked in concern. 

"I'm fine..." Mal groaned. "It's no big--" she then lost her train of thought as she suddenly looked over to see who she had run into.

"Heh... Sorry about that..." The boy smiled nervously. "You must be new to our school."

"What gave it away?" Mal replied.

"Well, you're here with Jane and she's not the type to just wander around the hallways outside of class, even if her mother's in charge of the school," The boy chuckled sheepishly as he soon held out his hand to her. "Here, let me help you up."

"...I can help myself up..." Mal mumbled as she seemed embarrassed and her face flushed into a red color as she got up and stood right in front of this boy. "Say... Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Yeah, I'm running a little late to Gym which means extra push-ups for me," The boy groaned and rolled his hazel eyes. "Uh... I better get going... Maybe I'll see ya later... I should go."

"Yeah, maybe you should... Heh... In 'Bowling', I think this is what they call a strike." Mal shrugged bashfully. 

"In that case, it's better than a gutter ball." The boy replied.

The two soon laughed together as Jane just stood between them. 

"...I better go... See ya..." The boy said before he took off running, even though that was forbidden in school hallways.

"Well, that was interesting..." Jane commented.

"Who was that...?" Mal soon asked.

"Oh, him? That's Benjamin French," Jane explained. "He's pretty popular around here and luckily he's a nice boy, so he's too polite to brag. He's on the football team like his dad and he's a real beast whenever we go up against The Fighting Monkeys."

Mal blinked and turned around. "Wait, what?" she then asked.

"The Fighting Monkeys," Jane repeated bashfully. "They're the kids from Lyman Baum Prep, they're our rivals."

"Oh... Okay..." Mal then shrugged. 

"Anyway... Back with the tour..." Jane nodded.

"Yeah, yeah." Mal replied.

The tour soon continued as Mal tried to ignore the thoughts she had about meeting Ben. She normally didn't believe in having crushes or falling in love at first sight, but something different happened. She felt very funny... She was really warm right now and her heart was racing. She just figured it was first day of school jitters and being the new kid in school, but that was far from it.

* * *

Eventually, the tour ended as Jane knocked on the door to one classroom. A woman soon opened the door who gave off some sort of cold and bleak atmosphere. Mal could just feel her spine chilling already as something about this woman told her to feel fear from the pit of her stomach... Yes, she did feel scared, but she wasn't that open about showing her fear. She had to grow up with her mother after all. 

The woman had short brunette hair that covered her eyes and her eyes felt as though they could pin you on the spot if she looked at you the wrong way. "Miss Fairgood, I don't recall you having a class with me..." she soon spoke, sounding very cold and chilling that did end up effecting Mal in some sort of way when her mother's voice was annoying at best and shrill at worst. 

"Uh, y-yes, I know, Mrs. Belfrey..." Jane nodded. "You have a new student in your homeroom class though."

"Ah... I see..." Mrs. Belfrey replied as she looked over to see Mal, not recognizing her face at all. "You must be the new student or just a troublemaker loitering in the hallways."

"Erm... I'm new..." Mal defended. "I just started today."

"Well, I can tell with the information I currently have that that is true," Mrs. Belfrey replied as she soon gestured for Mal to come inside. "I'll excuse your tardiness for today since you are new here as a warning, but if you are late for any other day without a proper excuse, you will find that I will become your worst nightmare very quickly. And I'm sure that you don't want that, dear."

"Uh... No, ma'am..." Mal said, swallowing a lump in her throat as it was fear as somehow this woman found a way of breaking her down.

"Miss Fairgood, I suggest you get to class while I take care of--" Mrs. Belfrey advised strictly before checking Mal's schedule to see her name. "Miss Ignus."

"Yes, ma'am," Jane nodded. "Good luck, Mal." she then added and Mal couldn't help but notice that she was practically sprinting out the door like she couldn't wait to get out of the woman's line of sight.

Mrs. Belfrey nodded as she soon took Mal and placed her beside her desk in front of the class as the students all sat. They seemed like robotic slaves as they all stared at the front of the class like they were in some sort of Concentration Camp and that any movement in their desks would be a horrendous penalty. Mal soon found an open desk and nodded as she figured that she would be sitting there. 

"Good morning, class." Mrs. Belfrey greeted.

"Good morning, Mrs. Belfrey." The class chorused from their desks, sounding just as stiff and robotic.

Mal couldn't help but snicker with how funny that seemed like they were in some sort of post-Apocalyptic and dystopian future. The students began to fear for Mal's life as she did that. 

"What's so funny, dear?" Mrs. Belfrey demanded to know.

"Uh... It's a joke, right?" Mal shrugged innocently. 

The students looked scared to death as Mal answered like that. Almost like that was a deadly sin or something to the same affect. 

"I can tell that you're going to be a handful," Mrs. Belfrey replied firmly as she looked Mal right in the eyes which did in fact make the teenage girl feel trapped somehow before she looked to her class. "Would someone be as so kind as to tell Miss Ignus about the rules of our classroom?"

A few students raised their hands, being quiet in the process as they all had stoic frowns on their faces. There was one girl though who was blonde and appeared to be looking bored out of her mind and even resting her hands under her face as she looked like she could fall asleep any minute now. 

"Yes, Mr. de Vil?" Mrs. Belfrey then called on a boy who seemed to have black-and-white hair and freckles all over his face.

"No giggling or laughing, stand when you speak, and always address you as 'Mrs. Belfrey'." The boy spoke up as he stood up from his chair, looking a bit dead-eyed and sounding stilted as he answered the teacher properly.

"Correct," Mrs. Belfrey nodded before looking at Mal. "You've only been in my classroom for five minutes and you've already broken certain rules I might have." 

"Uh... Sorry." Mal soon said.

"Sorry, _what_?" Mrs. Belfrey prompted firmly.

"Sorry, Mrs. Belfrey." Mal said.

"Very good," Mrs. Belfrey nodded before gesturing to an empty desk in the middle of the classroom. "Now... Why don't you sit there next to Mr. de Vil, Mr. Schehaerzade, and Miss Mills?"

"Yes, ma'am... Mrs. Belfrey..." Mal said as she soon walked over and went to sit next to the other kids. She recognized this "Mr. de Vil" and Evie already, though the other boy looked over as he wore his long dark hair in a ponytail to keep it neat and tidy. She could already tell that this was going to be a whole new adventure and experience and this was just homeroom, the class where you usually relax, talk to your friends, and take it easy before the other classes start. 


	3. Chapter 3

Lucky thing about homeroom is that it was a breather compared to the other classes. Good thing too because Mal found herself afraid of Mrs. Belfrey, but she didn't want anyone to know about that. Ben was in the gym with his own class as Coach Jenkins began to bark orders to the students like a drill sargeant. Push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, pull-ups, excessive stretching, and the main class subject was running laps and he reminded them to stay hydrated. The first few laps were always the easiest, but before the midway break to take a walking break until there were more and heart-pumping, lung exhausting, and throat drying laps were always the harder parts of running in class. 

"You seem distracted today, French," A cocky blonde boy smirked at Ben as he had his mind wandering. "You nervous about going up against The Fighting Monkeys next Friday?"

"Pfft... Please... I'm not afraid of those punks," Ben smirked as he rolled his hazel eyes. "Guess I'm just thinking about other things."

"Well, you better pay attention to class right now otherwise Jenkins will make you run laps for the rest of the class," The blonde boy retorted before grinning towards a trio of girls who were on the sidelines. "Though we both know that running laps doesn't have to tarnish my beauty."

The girls sighed dreamily and nearly fainted and fell onto the bleachers. 

"You're a regular Prince Charming, Chad," Ben smirked playfully. "Did you hear that there's a new girl in school though?"

"Yeah, I've heard people talking, but I haven't seen her," Chad shrugged. "What's her name? Melody? Marie?"

"Malissa apparently," Ben corrected. "I sorta ran into her in the hallway when Jane was showing her around."

"Malissa, that was it," Chad then grinned. "Do you like her or something?"

"I-I-I don't know," Ben suddenly stammered as he blushed suddenly at the random question. "Where did that come from?"

"Well, you ran into her and your eyes kinda met," Chad smirked. "Do you like this new girl? You're talking about her a lot."

"Chad, she's new, I'm just making an observation." Ben rolled his hazel eyes.

"Well, so am I," Chad smirked. "Hopefully, meanwhile, I can win some lucky girl's affections... As long as Gil LeGume doesn't steal them from me first."

"Sure, Chad, whatever," Ben shrugged. "We'll show those Fighting Monkeys what for," he then said, deciding to change the subject. "I could use someone to come with me after school to practice since I can't practice with my cousin Gideon. He's too young, so Mom and Aunt Lacey would kill me."

"Well, if not for the school mascot, maybe Gil then," Chad suggested before he checked his hands. "I think I have a manicure appointment after school today."

"Of course you do." Ben snarked.

"I'll practice with you, Ben," A black-haired girl smirked as she grabbed him from behind, hugging his shoulders as she pulled him tightly. "You know I'm not cheerleader material. My mom's in the army, my dad trains me and my brother, and I got three uncles who taught me karate when I was 5."

"Sure, Lonnie, I'll look into that," Ben chuckled sheepishly. "I could definitely use a do-over from our last big game against The Sherwood Foxes."

"So, what's this about you and the new girl?" Lonnie smirked.

"Does everybody know about this or something?" Ben scoffed. "Nothing happened! We just ran into each other in the hallway and suddenly fell on the floor. Nothing important happened."

"Sure, whatever you say, Benny," Chad smirked. "I have an eye for chemistry between a prince and a princess."

"That's the only chemistry you're good at," Ben smirked back. "If you fail Deley's next test, you're screwed and gonna be kicked off the football team if you don't shape up."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Chad rolled his eyes then.

Ben and Lonnie chuckled as Chad soon backed away awkwardly.

"So... Tell me..." Lonnie said to Ben. "Do you think the new girl's kinda cute? I know you think you don't need a girlfriend, but it might be nice for you."

"I don't know, Lonnie," Ben said softly, though he did kind of blush. "I mean... Yeah, she seems interesting... But I don't know if I could go out with her... I might talk to her."

"Maybe during lunch or the free period," Lonnie advised as she playfully punched him in the arm. "You shouldn't stop being so adorable~"

Ben chuckled nervously as he rubbed his arm bashfully. "I-I'll think about it, Lonnie," he then said to her. "I don't think we should jump to conclusions though."

"Fair enough," Lonnie nodded. "My uncles always believed that a girl is worth fighting for though."

Ben nodded as well before they both flinched as they heard the sound of a whistle.

"Hua Li, French, move those muscles and not those jaws!" Coach Jenkins glared a bit. "This is a Gym Class, not Mickey's Creek!"

"Yes, sir, Coach Jenkins!" Lonnie and Ben replied nervously.

"20 push-ups, both of you, now!" Coach Jenkins then demanded, punishing them for gossiping rather than exercising.

Lonnie and Ben groaned before they both got on the floor together and did what was asked of them. Coach Jenkins nodded firmly and soon walked off to go and see the other students. Ben couldn't help but think about Mal, probably because Chad and Lonnie wouldn't stop talking about her and the purple-haired girl stuck out to his mind. She was very interesting and mysterious so far, but he did decide that later on, he would go and talk to her when he would have the chance. That is, if he didn't pull a muscle during the extra exercise and would be sent to the nurse's office first.

* * *

Mal was also thinking about Ben and how he seemed mysterious and interesting to her as much as she did to him. Homeroom went all right as Mrs. Belfrey read her book behind her desk until the bell rang and it was time for other classes. The woman soon shooed them away and Mal was told to be lined up with the other students in alphabetical order, but the students broke apart from the arranged line once they were free in the hallway and out of her torture chamber she called a classroom. The students only felt bad for the other students she would see while they only saw her in the morning before their next classes.

Mrs. Belfrey addressed each student by their last name as they went out the door, but noticed someone missing from the line-up. "Miss Hightopp? ...Miss Hightopp?" she then called, looking around for the missing girl before she let out a frustrated sigh and collapsed back in her chair behind her desk. "Where is that little hellion?"

"BOO!" The blonde girl smirked as she appeared from nowhere right behind the woman, wearing a white rabbit mask.

"Aaaugh!" Mrs. Belfrey shrieked as that scared her while the blonde girl grinned and laughed wickedly with glee.

Mal noticed that and put her hand to her mouth as she couldn't help but laugh at what she had just witnessed. 

"Miss Hightopp, I should throw you in detention!" Mrs. Belfrey scolded once she caught her breath as she put her hand over her chest.

"Scared ya, didn't I?" The blonde girl smirked as she put her hands behind her back. "Lighten up, will ya? It was just a joke... Besides, you can't give me detention, you're just my homeroom teacher~"

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong, Miss Hightopp," Mrs. Belfrey glowered as she reached into her desk, brought out a collection of pink slips of paper and began to write it out. "'Detention... For... Mathilda... Hightopp... From'--"

"You'll have to catch me first!" The blonde girl smirked before she hopped away into the hallway like a runaway white rabbit.

"COME BACK HERE!" Mrs. Belfrey glared as she stood up and went to chase after the blonde girl in the hallway who was probably the only student not afraid to back sass the cold and iron-clad woman.

* * *

The blonde girl giggled as the other students gathered around, hanging around their lockers as they watched the two go at it. Mal watched what was going on as she stood between Evie and two of the other boys in their homeroom class.

"Tilly's at it again..." The freckled boy sighed and shook his head. "Will that girl ever learn?"

"Tilly?" Mal asked.

"She's a real piece of work," Evie informed. "She only goes to school here because she got herself kicked out of boarding school to straighten herself out, but she managed to escape and this was the only school her parents could afford."

"Good to know..." Mal replied. "And I thought my mother was strict."

"My mother's a bit scarier than Mrs. Belfrey honestly..." The freckled boy gulped a little.

"My dad's insane when he gets mad," The other boy added before looking at Mal. "So you're the new girl, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Mal nodded. "My name is Mal, but please don't call me Malissa because I hate the name Malissa."

"Fair enough, I hate Jayden," The taller boy smirked and chuckled. "So you can call me Jay. I see you already know Evie."

"Yeah, Mom drove her to school with me and Henry," Evie nodded. "Mal, these are a couple of good friends of mine: Jay and Carlos."

"Hi!" The freckled boy smiled, his voice squeaking a little as he was still going through the dreaded curse in a growing boy's life commonly known as puberty.

The others couldn't help but chuckle at Carlos's voice going up and down. It took Mal a few conversations to get used to it, but once she did, she didn't laugh at much. 

"You wanna join us for lunch, Mal?" Jay offered. 

"Uh, sure, I guess that would be cool," Mal shrugged. "Guess it's better than eating alone."

"That's the spirit," Evie smiled. "Let's hope the rest of your day goes all right."

"Yeah... Let's hope..." Mal nodded a bit before glancing over.

* * *

Ben was shown to be coming out into the hallway with a few other boys from who he had Gym with. Mal eyed Ben and soon went over to the corner of the hall and hid away, ducking down. Jay and Carlos began to look confused while Evie seemed concerned for her new friend. 

"Hey, Jay," Ben said as he came up to the big and strong boy, greeting him with a fist bump. "Think you can make it after school today?"

"Hopefully," Jay replied as he bumped fists with Ben in response. "If my dad doesn't need him in his shop of course... But what the heck?" he then smirked. "I'm gonna skip that anyway."

"Sounds good to me," Ben smirked back. "Hey, uh, didn't I see four of you?"

"Yeah, I don't know what happened to Mal," Carlos shrugged. "I guess she just tripped into the girl's bathroom or something."

"Shame... Maybe I'll see her later," Ben replied before he walked off to his locker. "Come on, Jay, you wanna talk some plays we can probably use after school to practice for the big game?"

"Sure! See ya guys later." Jay nodded before he walked off with Ben.

"Bye, Jay. Bye, Ben." Evie and Carlos replied.

Ben and Jay soon walked over to near the end of the hallway to talk about possible plans for their upcoming game. 

"Is he gone...?" Mal asked shyly as she came out from behind a trashcan.

"Get away from there, girly!" A grumpy and aggressive looking bearded man glared as he came to the trash can to move it. "I got a clean up on the second floor."

"Oh... Uh... Sorry..." Mal said nervously as she stepped back from it.

"Heh... Sorry about that, Mr. Leroy, she's new..." Evie apologized to the man.

"Whatever..." The man grumbled before he moved the trash can down the hallway.

"What's his problem?" Mal asked.

"He's always grumpy, but just don't call him that or make fun of his height," Carlos replied. "But enough about him. What about you?"

"What about me?" Mal shrugged in response.

"What the heck was that about?" Carlos asked. "Once Ben was coming over, you just ran away like a tiny puppy lost on a big bulldog's property."

"Oh, uh, I don't know," Mal said softly and bashfully as she rubbed her arm as Mrs. Belfrey was shown to be dragging Tilly by her collar down the hallway while Tilly crossed her arms with a very cranky look on her face. "I guess I just... Dropped my pen."

"Your pen?" Carlos raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Heh! Yeah! My lucky purple pen!" Mal grinned nervously. "How else am I gonna pass class without my purple pen, huh?"

"...Uh-huh." Carlos nodded, though he was still suspicious about Mal's odd behavior all of a sudden.

Suddenly, the next bell rang which meant it was time to head over to the next class before the bell would ring again, symbolizing the beginning of the class.

"Let's get you to class, huh?" Evie suggested. "We'll talk more at lunch."

"Uh, sure." Mal replied as she followed Evie.

* * *

The classes went by all right for what they were worth. Evie seemed to be a lot smarter than Mal pegged her for as she knew the atomic mass unit of silver, English Class seemed fine, after all, Mal had been speaking that language her whole life, Gym was a bit tricky, but nothing horrible, though it seemed that the boys did more work than the girls who just played with jump ropes and did occasional sit-ups... Overall, this new school just felt more like a prison than a system for education, but at least there was a time to head back home. However, due to it being her first day of school and being new in town and the school, Mal was a lot more exhausted than the average student would be. 

Lunchtime felt like a breath of fresh air. Mal soon held her stomach as it growled as she was already hungry by the end of English class. Luckily, she was in the cafeteria and groaned as she was ready to get some food in her. The two lunch ladies stared at Mal as she came next in line. One seemed very warm and friendly while the other just looked irritated and impatient. Unfortunately for Mal, she was given the former lunch lady who looked like she could shoot you with a crossbow arrow just by looking at her the wrong way. 

"Meatloaf or lasagna?" The more bitter woman barked suddenly.

"Oh! Uh... Huh?" Mal blinked as that startled her. 

"Meatloaf or lasagna?" The woman repeated firmly. "You're holding up the line!"

"Oh, uh, meatloaf, I guess!" Mal soon said without thinking and suddenly groaned as she didn't like either, though she had no other option.

The woman then scooped up a helping of the meatloaf and soon slapped it onto the girl's tray, nearly getting grease and other residues right on her clothes and bare arms. This meatloaf looked more like it came straight out of a public gas station bathroom rather than a fresh and home-cooked kitchen. Mal grinned nervously and soon went to move along the line as the other students seemed to rush over to get some food. 

"Excuse me, dear?" A warmer voice smiled from behind her as she went to go and sit down.

Mal soon looked over her shoulder as she suddenly came to a stop.

"You're supposed to use your ID card, remember?" The woman behind the computer reminded as she had a cash register and a scanner for a card. 

"ID card?" Mal blinked in confusion. "What ID card?"

"You don't have your ID card?" The woman asked.

"I wasn't aware that I needed one... Am I supposed to?" Mal then asked, feeling genuinely confused and concerned.

Some of the other students in the lunch line snickered as Mal didn't know any better. 

"I'm afraid you'll need your ID card to buy your lunch," The woman replied, a bit firm, but not as bad as the woman who came before her. "If you don't have your ID card, you don't have your lunch."

"Oh... Uh..." Mal frowned, not sure what to do as she stared like a deer caught in headlights. 

"It's okay, Mrs. Potts," Evie's voice said as she suddenly appeared and brought out her own card. "I'll charge it to my account."

"Oh... Um... Very well, Evie..." The woman then said with a small nod. "I suppose that would be all right if it's okay with your mother."

"Of course it is," Evie smiled warmly as she soon went in the line and decided to pay for her new friend's lunch so that she wouldn't go hungry. "No harm done."

Mrs. Potts nodded and soon went to help the next person in line.

"Mrs. Fairgood didn't say anything about an ID card." Mal said as she followed Evie out of the line and over to a table. 

"She must've forgotten, but yes, you'll definitely need one," Evie nodded before grimacing as she looked at Mal's tray. "Ugh... You didn't bring your own lunch from home or ask for the salad bar?"

"I had no other choice..." Mal replied. "That first lunch lady was giving me the evil eye."

"Nah... Mrs. Lucas is harmless," Evie reassured. "You just probably wore out her patience... Give me that tray... You deserve a much better lunch."

Mal soon held out her tray with a shrug. Evie soon took it and dumped it right in the trash and escorted Mal over to where she was sitting. Henry seemed to be there before he looked up and he was also keeping an eye on two lunchboxes.

* * *

"Your little brother?" Mal asked.

"Sure," Evie nodded. "I hope that's okay."

"Sure... It's okay..." Mal shrugged.

"Henry, is it okay if Mal joins us for lunch?" Evie then asked the young boy.

"I guess... As long as she doesn't use colorful language," Henry replied. "I'd rather not repeat those words at home because then Mom would make me eat apple scented soap."

"That she would, Henry, that she would." Evie chuckled in amusement before she soon sat down next to her younger brother and took the darker blue lunchbox with a red apple on it with the letter E inside the apple crest. 

"Um... Hello, there..." Mal waved awkwardly as she sat across from the boy. "I thought this was a high school?"

"That's your section of the school," Henry explained, sounding mature for his age which was something Mal did not expect at all. "I go to the lower hallway with the other kids around my age..." he then eyed her and flinched. "...Did you really take Mrs. Lucas's meatloaf?"

"I had no other choice!" Mal shrugged. "Apparently Evie thinks that that's not a real meal though."

"She's right... It really rots your insides," Henry nodded like that was a vital warning. "If you value your life, you will not eat it. Mrs. Lucas is a great cook with like grilled cheese, lasagna, or cheeseburgers, but for the love of humanity, do NOT eat her meatloaf."

"...Good to know," Mal said feebly as she held her stomach as it weakly growled. "So, what can I eat? I'm starving."

Evie and Henry soon opened up their lunch boxes to show that they had some other options. Both of the kids had tuna fish sandwiches with juicy red apples, carrot sticks, some string cheese, and Goldfish crackers. The siblings then decided to split their lunches apart and decided to share some of their food with Mal so that she wouldn't be starving or way hungry until dinner time. 

"What? No chocolate pudding?" Mal asked them as she ate one half of a tuna sandwich as the two ate their healthier foods first before they would eat the dessert that came with their lunch from home.

"Not until we eat our healthier foods first," Henry advised. "Mom insists on it."

"What's she gonna know?" Mal shrugged. "It's not like she has hidden cameras in your lunchboxes or something."

Henry didn't say anything and just ate his Goldfish crackers. Mal shrugged as she ate with the siblings while looking around as her mind wandered. She had a lot on her mind that day... Especially the one they called Benjamin French. She wasn't sure why she was thinking about him or obsessed with him at the moment when she was 100% sure he wasn't even thinking about her at all... Though she was wrong about that. Very, very wrong. She then decided to wonder how the rest of the school day would go and what other adventures awaited her so far. 


	4. Chapter 4

Mal found that spending some time with Henry was just as enjoyable as it was with Evie, even if she had other things she wanted to say to Evie in private, especially without having to censor herself. The shared lunch was also pretty good and even Carlos came by, though mostly for the chocolate snacks which his mother never allowed him to have any chocolate for whatever reason, though he mentioned that his mother's countless and numerous admirers had given them to her after they would "have a grown-up sleepover with her" while he would just be alone in his room and hearing them through the thin walls... He had never heard his mother scream so loud in all of his life. It scared him when he was a small child, but he had grown accustomed to it like it was something he was forced to live with whether he wanted it or not. Carlos felt like a little brother at times too, though he acted like a big brother around Henry at times. 

At another table, The Queen of the School was there with her gang of pals... This girl was the fiery brunette known as Audrey Rose Thornley. She was more or less in charge of the school, next to maybe Mrs. Fairgood of course, and she sat with her two friends who sat beside her: Coraline Hart and Ivanna Belfrey. Audrey had quite a reputation, especially in being in school after the graduation of her older sisters, Ariana and Dawn, who were pretty much the smartest and most beautiful girls in school at the time. 

"So... That's the new girl?" Audrey asked.

"Yep," Ivy nodded. "That's her... They say her name is Malissa Ignus... Apparently, she came from a bad part of town back home, but she seems to be friends with Mayor Mills's daughter."

"That explains her clothes," Coraline smirked as she capped her lipstick after applying her favorite crimson shade so she could look beautiful and endearing. "She probably got them from the gutter like where Ruby Lucas comes from."

"Maybe she should be reminded of who's in charge around here," Audrey smirked. "Perhaps I could schedule a visit to the restroom just before class."

"Especially if Ben might take an interest in her." Ivy smirked back.

"Really?" Audrey raised an eyebrow. "You think Ben might like her."

"I dunno for sure, but I think you should just let her know who's in charge around here, especially if she might like Ben," Ivy kept her smirk. "I don't know for sure if she does or not, but it might make things just a little more interesting~"

"You're right, Ivy," Audrey smirked back. "She should know who's the Queen of the School."

"Right." Ivy and Coraline nodded.

"It's so good to be me~" Audrey beamed as she applauded herself before she took out a chocolate cupcake that was in her lunch and she bit down into it instantly.

* * *

It seemed to be a good lunch overall. Mal soon got up from her seat and Evie went to go with her to help her over to the girls' bathroom.

"Carlos, can you watch Henry for me?" Evie asked the freckled boy.

"Yeah, sure," Carlos nodded before looking at the younger boy. "So, what's the story this time, Henry?" 

Henry smiled as he showed his book which was his most prized possession. He almost always never left home without it. Audrey saw Mal and Evie heading to the bathroom and soon smirked as she decided to follow them. 

"So, is it just me or does Carlos seem really short for a high schooler?" Mal asked Evie on the way to the bathroom. "No offense of course."

"Nah, it's not just you," Evie shook her head. "He's actually only 14."

"Yeah...?" Mal asked with wide eyes. "And he's in our grade?"

"He skipped a couple of grades, yeah," Evie replied. "He's a lot smarter than he looks. Luckily he's not a pain in the butt about it."

"Well, that's good at least, he seems like a little brother type." Mal said.

"Yeah, I know what ya mean," Evie replied. "Even if Jay used to bully him for being smaller and weaker than the rest of us... Though sometimes Jay still likes to mess with him whenever he gets the chance."

"Boys." Both girls rolled their eyes before smiling at each other and laughing as they got along nicely, almost like sisters.

* * *

They soon made it into the bathroom.

"Excuse me, I have to powder my nose." Evie told Mal as she went into a stall.

"That's cool, I think I should try to get this... Grease gravy off of me..." Mal replied.

Evie nodded as she soon went into the stall and locked the door in front of her. Mal heaved a sharp sigh as she soon turned on the sink and began to check it to see if it would be warm enough and hoped that it would make the stains come out of her uniform. She soon took some paper towels from the dispenser by the door and began to try to get the stains out as Audrey soon came into the restroom door and smirked once she arrived. Mal grunted and groaned with effort as she tried to get the stains out from her uniform.

"Ah... You must be the new girl~..." The brunette greeted from behind.

"Huh?" Mal jolted and blinked before glancing over her shoulder to see Audrey. "Oh... Yeah... I am," she then said. "My name is Mal."

"Mal... What an interesting name..." Audrey smirked. "You seem like an interesting person... Are you?"

"I guess," Mal shrugged as she tried to get the meat stains off of her. "And you are...?"

"Audrey Thornley at your service," Audrey smirked as she held out her hand, though grimaced since she saw that Mal had some stains on her uniform. "Ooh... Looks like you had a little accident there."

"Uh... Yeah..." Mal shrugged as they soon began to shake hands. "Had an incident with the lunch ladies when they asked me what I wanted for lunch."

"Mm-hmm... I'd much rather prefer the salad bar..." Audrey wrinkled her nose, though she put up with the hand shaking before retracting her hand to put one on her hip. 

"Good to know," Mal shrugged with a small, sheepish smile as she wasn't sure what was going on between her and Audrey right now. "So, uh, are you here to wash your hands or something?" 

"I just came here to warn you." Audrey replied.

Mal blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Warn me? About what?" she then asked.

"About Benjamin French... Do you know him?"

"Sorta..." 

"Well, I hope you don't plan on getting to know him better or getting cute and cuddly with him," Audrey narrowed her smoldering brown eyes into Mal's emerald green eyes. "You can't date him."

"S-Sorry...? Is he your boyfriend?" Mal asked.

"He's off-limits," Audrey glared as she soon walked forward towards Mal, making the other girl back up and soon nearly end up falling in the open bathroom stall and right on the toilet. "So if I see you smiling, laughing, or doing anything near him... You and I are gonna have trouble. Do I make myself clear, Melissa?"

"...Actually, my name is _Mal_." Mal corrected, not feeling that scared, but she was a bit disturbed from Audrey's confrontation.

"I don't care, but you're going to stay away from Ben as long as I still go to school here," Audrey glowered as she towered over Mal. "Otherwise... I'll have to send my girls after you."

"Your girls?" Mal groaned a bit. "Who do you think you are? The Godfather?"

"Don't... Fuss... With me..." Audrey harshly emphasized as she shook her hands into fists. "See you around, Mallory."

"...My name is _Mal_." Mal mumbled as Audrey soon stormed off suddenly as the toilet next to her began to flush.

Evie soon stepped out of the bathroom and went to wash her hands. She then looked around before taking off her earbuds and then glanced at the mirror as she washed her hands before she saw a very strange and unsettling sight, then looked behind her to see that Mal was stuck in the toilet. "Oh, Mal! I thought maybe you left... Wait... Are you stuck in there?" she then asked as she approached her new friend.

"Yeah... Ugh..." Mal replied as she grunted, unable to get out. "Man... This is totally embarrassing."

"Here... I gotcha... Come 'ere..." Evie said as she grasped Mal's hands and soon carefully, but also firmly pulled her new friend up and out of the toilet, though her skirt and below her shirt were soaking wet. "Ooh... That looks kinda bad..." she then decided to remove her midnight blue jacket that had red hearts on it. "Here... Take this."

"Are you sure?" Mal asked as Evie soon tied the jacket by the sleeves around her waist and made the back end loom over Mal's skirt to cover up the wet mess.

"Sure," Evie smiled. "You can give it back to me after school. Luckily for me, I like blue, so I don't get in trouble for being out of uniform."

"Wow... Thanks, Evie..." Mal said, a bit touched as she blushed sheepishly.

"What're friends for?" Evie smiled warmly. "Now come on, let's finish up lunch."

"All right." Mal smiled back as she followed Evie out of the bathroom after the sweet fashionista girl.

* * *

Luckily, no one laughed or noticed Mal's little accident as they came into the cafeteria. Henry was reading aloud one of his stories to Carlos who kept him company before they both saw the girls coming and began to wave them over so that they could enjoy and finish up the rest of their lunch period.

"What's that story about?" Mal asked Henry.

" _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_ ," Henry replied. "I think it's a classic, plus the princess reminds me of my teacher, Ms. Blanchard."

"Well, Ms. Blanchard must be a very nice teacher then," Mal smiled softly before muttering to herself. "Anyone has to be better than Mrs. Belfrey..."

"Hey, at least you only have to see her in the morning before the other teachers get under your skin." Evie muttered back.

Mal and Evie giggled as Henry just shrugged at them while he continued to read the story. Mal smiled as having Henry around seemed to make any bad situation in school feel a little bit better. She was so glad that he wasn't a bratty little brother or just obnoxious like most little kids could be sometimes. It made her swear to herself in blood to vow to never ever have children.

* * *

Audrey soon came back over to Ivy and Coraline.

"So, did you scare her straight?" Ivy asked Audrey.

"Oh, yeah," Audrey smirked. "I also want you guys to keep a close eye on Little Miss Purple Hair for me. I feel like she might be a challenge if I'm not too careful."

"You got it." Ivy and Coraline nodded obediently.

"Excellent..." Audrey then grinned as she tented her fingers, shivering with anticipation of ruining Mal's life, especially if she came into contact with Ben.

* * *

Eventually, the bell rang and it was time for afternoon classes.

"Okay, Henry, have fun with Ms. Blanchard," Evie smiled as she hugged her little brother, bringing him to the primary hallway for the kids who were 13 and under. "I love you so much."

"Love you too, Evie," Henry smiled back in the hug. "Evie, do you think you and Mal will become best friends?"

"Oh... I don't know, Henry..." Evie said softly. "I'd love to... But I'm not sure yet. Why? Do you think she wants to become best friends?" she then asked.

"I think you'd be great friends," Henry nodded in reassurance. "You could really use a girl friend, especially for some... Personal girl stuff away from Carlos and Jay. They're good and all, but you should hang around girls more, ya know?"

"Yes, I suppose I should in this day and age," Evie had to nod in agreement. "Especially for prom whenever we decide what dresses to wear... Not to mention slumber parties... I'll tell you what, Henry... I'll think about it a little. Sound good?"

"Sure," Henry approved. "You deserve to have a Girl's Night... Like when Mom goes out to that bar whenever she doesn't have to work: The Rabbit Hole."

"Yes, but that's for more grown-up fun," Evie giggled. "All right, you little scamp, it's time to get to class."

"Okay. Okay. I'm going," Henry rolled his eyes, though playfully as he smiled at his older sister. "I'll see you after the final bell."

"See you later, Henry." Evie nodded as she waved at him.

Henry waved back as he soon went to his assigned classroom where a short black-haired woman was shown to be waiting for him as she had a cheerful and carefree smile plastered on her face. She soon noticed Evie and waved at her before Evie waved to her as well as she went to make it to class... The last thing she wanted to do was get detention, especially since her mother was the mayor and wasn't home very often and her job after school was usually to babysit Henry until dinner time and help him with his homework unless there was a City Council Meeting, then she had to take care of his and her dinner and make sure he would go to bed on time and sometimes give him a bath. She hated it at first, especially after Henry came into her life, not to mention she would rather have a little sister, but after a while, she got used to it and she loved having Henry around and it even made her mother a little happier to have a new baby in the house.

* * *

"Thanks for waiting for me," Evie said as she made it to the higher floor and saw Mal in the hallway as it was emptying up due to it being time for class. "You know, you could've come with me and make sure Henry made it to class okay."

"I, uh, just didn't wanna overwhelm the kids," Mal shrugged. "I mean, what do 10-year-old kids even talk about? 'Just got out of Day Care, about to go play outside'?"

"I think you're mistaking 10-year-olds for 10-month-olds." Evie smirked as they soon walked off to class.

"Whatever," Mal rolled her eyes. "So, you don't get in trouble for doing this?"

"Oh, of course not," Evie insisted. "I always make sure Henry makes it to class. It's my job as his older sister. Let's talk about you for a second though... How'd you get stuck in the toilet?"

"I-I dunno," Mal shrugged. "This snooty and shallow girl just showed up and told me to stay away from Ben if I knew what was good for me. It was like Marlon Brando was a high school girl or something."

Evie seemed to look confused of that reference.

"The Godfather, it's a classic movie, I'll explain later." Mal shrugged.

"Snooty and shallow girl?" Evie then asked. "...Did this girl have brown hair and brown eyes with some pink smothered into her clothes somehow."

"Yeah... Do you know her?" Mal then nodded with wide eyes, surprised that Evie suddenly knew who she was talking about. "She had a funny name."

"Audrey Thornley..." Evie sighed as she bowed her head.

"Yeah!" Mal nodded urgently before she saw Evie looking a bit sad all of a sudden. "...What's wrong?"

Evie sighed sharply. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but that's the Queen Bee of our school," she then explained. "You're lucky to be alive... She tends to give everyone the royal flush."

"...Do I wanna know?" Mal asked, referring to the royal flush.

"It's probably best that you don't," Evie replied. "She'll burn just about anybody, including her cronies sometimes... She's also Ben's ex-girlfriend."

"Guess that's why she was warning me about not going anywhere near him." Mal said softly.

"Mal, I'm so sorry, I should've stayed outside of the stall to keep an eye on you," Evie groaned as she blamed herself. "The girls' bathroom is probably the most dangerous place to be on the higher floor. Teenage girls can be so cruel, I'm just glad she can't hurt the kids on the lower floor like Henry and his friends."

"Oh... She can't be that bad..." Mal shrugged. "She's probably just full of hot air."

Evie bit her lip and just walked off ahead of Mal. "Look, let's just get to class," she then suggested. "We don't have much time before it starts and they start handing out detention slips like candy at trick-or-treating."

Mal looked concerned about Evie's reaction and soon followed her down the hallway to get to their respective classes.

* * *

The rest of the school day was kind of a blur for Mal. She still saw Audrey's piercing and smoldering brown eyes pinning her on the spot. She didn't feel horrified by the girl, but she felt unsettled with the idea and thought of her being around. Not to mention she was the ex-girlfriend of her possible new crush? Mal decided to do everything in her power to avoid this girl... This Audrey Thornley... Who did she think she was anyway? The school day soon ended as the final bell rang and Mal looked exhausted.

The first day of school was always tough, but it felt even more exhausting since she didn't know the building well yet. Everyone else knew exactly where and when to go, but she was still lost, but it was only the first day. She soon looked around for Evie as she grabbed her heavier than it was this morning backpack until she flinched at a familiar squeaky voice.

"Hey, Mal!"

Mal's eyes widened as she spun on her heels and then sighed as she put her hand on her chest. "Oh... It's just you, Jana..." she then said.

"Jane," The meek girl corrected. "Close enough though."

"Jane... Right... Sorry," Mal nodded. "Sorry... It's been a long day..."

"I can understand that," Jane said with a small smile. "The first day of school is always so exhausting... I remember when I was a freshman that I fell asleep right after dinner on my first day of school."

"Heh... Good to know..." Mal grinned bashfully and awkwardly as she would rather talk with Evie right about now as she wasn't sure what to do around Jane. "So, uh, you go home with your mom?"

"Usually, yeah," Jane nodded. "What about you? You gonna ride the bus? You gonna walk back home? What do you do?"

"I... I don't know..." Mal said softly, walking suddenly as Jane began to follow her, nearly floating beside her on both ends every time she turned around.

"Well, I can help you out if you want," Jane offered. "Only if you want to... Maybe we can look for your mom's car... Unless you know what bus to go on... Is that okay?"

Mal groaned as Jane was personally annoying her very hard right now and nearly suffocating her. Of course though, she couldn't say that out loud and was trying very hard not to snap at the girl suddenly. However, as luck would have it, a car horn honk pulled her out of her reverie that sounded very familiar and she saw that it was her own mother. 'Thank God... Mom did something right for once...' she then thought to herself.

"Oh... I guess that's your mom?" Jane guessed.

"Yeah! Well, uh, this was interesting, Jane, but it looks like I gotta go," Mal grinned innocently as she dashed off to the car, leaving the front steps of her new school. "See ya tomorrow!"

"Oh, okay!" Jane called out as she waved goodbye to Mal. "See you tomorrow, Mal!"

"That was so close..." Mal groaned as she got into the passenger's seat and clicked on her seatbelt, tossing her backpack into the back and faced her mother. "Where were you this morning?"

"I'm sorry, dear, but I left early to get to know the neighborhood better and register for all of the important things like to vote," Ciara smiled apologetically as she soon started the car to drive away from school grounds once Mal was buckled up. "Looks like you made a new friend."

"Hmph... Yeah, I guess..." Mal shrugged as she puffed out her cheeks. 

"So, was Mayor Mills's daughter nice?" Ciara asked. "I think we should have dinner with them someday. Don't you? Just imagine... Being best friends with the mayor!"

"Sounds like a real dream, Mom..." Mal deadpanned. 

They soon drove away from the school and were soon back at home sweet home. 

"If you have homework, you should start it right now," Ciara advised. "Then maybe we can order some Chinese for dinner. I heard of a place called Shan Yu's Dim Sum if that sounds good."

"It'd be better than your cooking." Mal mumbled under her breath.

"Excuse me, young lady?" Ciara asked sharply then.

"I said, it sounds great!" Mal enunciated with an innocent, toothy grin on her face.

"Hm... Yes..." Ciara nodded as she drove them back home. "So, was school as bad as you thought it would be?"

"It was... It was something else, Mom..." Mal shrugged, not sure what to say. "There's a football game coming up... Maybe I'll go check it out."

"That sounds like fun," Ciara smiled. "I knew you'd have a wonderful new adventure in your new school. Just you wait, Mal... Things in Auradon Heights are going to be much better than the Moor Isles."

"Mm-hmm..." Mal rolled her eyes as she just shrugged and crossed her arms.

* * *

Ben had quite an exhausting day of school himself, though of course, not as much as Mal did. He rode the bus back home and was holding Clarice's hand as they got off of the bus together and soon walked over to the front door of their house, taking out his key and unlocked the door as he was used to them being home alone until dinner time. Clarice soon happily and cheerfully ran into the house while Ben had a lot going through his mind.

"I think you should get started on your homework," Ben smiled as he brought out a plate of carrot and celery sticks to his younger sister as an after school snack. "If you need help, I'm right here."

"Okay, Benny," Clarice smiled as she nibbled on a carrot stick. "Can't I have a cookie though?"

"...All right, one cookie, but that's it until after dinner," Ben smirked. "I don't want you to spoil your appetite."

"Yes, Benny." Clarice nodded at her big brother as she suddenly put the carrot stick down and went to take two cookies out of the jar.

"Ah, ah, ah~" Ben wagged his finger as he saw the extra cookie. "I said _one_ cookie, Clarice~"

"For you." Clarice said, giving him the second cookie.

"Aww... Thank you..." Ben smiled as he ate the cookie. "Delicious~"

"Yummy-licious~" Clarice giggled as she ate her own cookie.

Ben smiled warmly at his little sister before he sighed softly as he thought about what he was thinking about. What was it and what was going on with him? He was unsure, but maybe his parents, mostly his father anyway, could help him out before bedtime tonight if they weren't too busy. He was thinking a bit about that new girl... He got over a messy break-up with Audrey Thornley which was very ugly, especially on his end with how much of a drama queen she could be and how she blamed him and often made him sound like the bad guy whenever the topic came up in discussion. Did he like her? 

He wasn't sure. He decided to make sure to get a word in with his parents, preferably his father, before going to sleep that night. That is, if he didn't fall asleep too early due to his busier schedule compared to most other students. The French family was rich, not filthy, disgusting, and stinkin' rich mind you, but they were pretty powerful and popular. His father was viewed sometimes as a celebrity and nearly a king in the neighborhood, his mother was just a bookstore owner though, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life after graduation, and his aunt, uncle, and cousin lived off of his uncle's success in a rival pawnshop that put Jay's father to shame with its riches and collection of trinkets. It was almost like a treasure trove of nostalgia for adults. Ben had so much to think about and he was only 16-years-old and looking after his little sister for after school time if he didn't have sports practice with Chad and the guys. Maybe tomorrow, if his parents don't have time to see him, he should go visit the school guidance counselor: Dr. Hopper. He always had pretty good advice. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm saddened to say Jay reacting of Mal being "racist" for not wanting boys in her group is based on a personal experience in middle school when the only students left to join a group project were just a couple of boys... Seriously... Though as my mother always says "Men don't grow up, they just grow old".

It was very late and almost midnight. Ben had Clarice asleep on the couch next to him as he drifted off a little. Luckily they both had their homework done, but they had the TV on. Ben's dreams were filled with the thoughts of the new girl in school. Who was she really? What was she like? Was she a threat or a new friend? These thoughts flooded his mind and he decided it would be a good time to talk with his parents about it. The next morning then came as his thoughts were still focused on Mal and Ben soon yawned and stretched as he woke up.

"Huh?" Ben blinked as he looked all around, finding himself in the living room. "This isn't my room... Mom? Dad?" he then called out.

"Well, it's about time you realized where you were, Benny~" Belle giggled as she was making coffee for herself and her husband. "I see that you and Clarice had an eventful evening."

"Oh! Mom!" Ben gasped as he soon stumbled out of the couch, getting tangled up in the blanket as Clarice yelped as that jolted her awake next. "Mom, I'm sorry we fell asleep in front of the TV. I guess I just lost track of time last night."

"It's okay, I'm not mad," Belle smiled warmly. "In fact, you and your sister looked very happy and comfortable together."

"Oh... Good..." Ben said in relief.

"Did you get your homework done though?" Belle asked as she began to pour the coffee into the mugs and went to the stove to check on the eggs. 

"Yes, Mom," Ben reassured as he nodded. He always made that his #1 priority for whenever he or Clarice would come home and their parents weren't home yet, due to being very busy with their jobs. "Clarice did hers too... Though I wish my homework was as simple as 'drawing a picture of your pet'."

Belle giggled, a little amused to that statement.

"...Do you know if you and Dad will be home today after school?" Ben asked hopefully.

"I'll be home, but your father will be late," Belle said as she looked back at him. "I'm also planning on giving your Aunt Lacey a call. Why? Is something wrong?" she then prompted as to why he asked that question.

"I just... I'm thinking about something in school..." Ben said as he began to blush sheepishly. "I kinda want a guy to talk to about it though."

"So... My little Benny is growing up with questions and he can't be bothered to share some thoughts with Mommy?" Belle asked, though a bit playful as she actually understood, though she and her sister never had a chance to properly grow up with their mother, especially when entering puberty, and they just wanted her there and not talk about certain things with Ben and Clarice's grandfather.

"Oh, n-n-no, Mom, it's not that," Ben's hazel eyes widened. "I trust you, it's just that Dad and I need to talk about important things like... Growing hair everywhere..."

"Ben, I was just kidding," Belle smirked with a light chuckle. "I understand... There were some things your aunt and I couldn't talk with your grandfather when we were just a bit younger than you are right now. Plus, I know all about men growing hair all over the place, your father had the craziest goatee and mullet when we were first dating. He almost looked like some sort of dog or Beast Man."

Ben gave a small smile, laughing a bit as he found that kind of funny. "I guess that's why they called him 'The Beast' back in school then, huh?" he then asked.

"Something like that, yes," Belle smirked. "But I still loved him."

"Thanks, Mom," Ben said with a small sigh. "I just need someone to talk to about something in school... I mean, you know what happened between me and Audrey."

"Yes, I remember, especially when she tried to marry you when you met at Evelyn Mills' birthday party in Kindergarten," Belle nodded in memory. "She even tried to pop the question with a Ring Pop from the piñata."

"Aw, jeez, Mom..." Ben blushed even more from embarrassment and sheepishness, made worse as Clarice was heard giggling.

"Morning, Mama~" Clarice beamed as she hugged her mother's legs.

"Hello, dear," Belle smiled. "Benny and I are talking right now, but if you wait quietly at the table like a good girl, I'll get you some eggs."

"Okay..." Clarice nodded and soon walked over to the table and went to sit at her usual spot at the table. 

"Just remember to brush your teeth right after!" Belle then prompted.

"Yes, Mama!" Clarice nodded.

"Such a little angel," Belle smiled warmly as she was almost done with the eggs. "I think your father might be too busy to talk at breakfast, Benny, but you could always try to schedule an appointment with Dr. Hopper. He's always there if you kids ever want to talk, he lets one's conscious be their guide."

"Yes, I remember," Ben replied. "Thanks, Mom. I feel just a little bit better, but I still need a man's opinion."

"I understand," Belle said as she turned around and soon scooped her arms around him up into a warm hug. "Oh... You're growing up so fast. Soon you'll be graduated from school, then in college, marriage, grandchildren--"

"Whoa! Easy there, Belle!" Adam's voice chuckled as he soon came downstairs to join his family to the breakfast table. "Clarice is still learning how to count by twos and you're talking about grandkids?"

Belle cupped her mouth with a giggle, unable to resist.

"Morning, everybody." Adam greeted.

"Daddy!" Clarice beamed as she lunged out from her chair, springing onto him for a hug.

"Oof!" Adam grunted as he nearly stumbled back, but laughed as he wrapped his arms around his daughter, catching her in the hug. "Good morning, my little princess."

Ben smiled warmly as he sat down at his place at the table. Eventually, Belle plated everybody's breakfast and they all sat down all around each other as a family and they began to eat up. Ben's mind still wandered, but he kept his thoughts to himself, so glad that his brain didn't lead down into his mouth and then he would end up saying something stupid or embarrassing. His parents noticed that he was unusually quiet this morning as he almost always had something to say, though they decided not to say anything, especially since Clarice was at the table and they didn't have much time together until it would be time to get going to school and work for the day.

* * *

Ben still decided he would go talk to the school guidance counselor. He often kept his feelings to himself as he never really opened up much to his friends, especially Chad who was more interested in how his reflection looked. Sometimes he had to wonder why he would even bother being friends with someone like Chad who often acted like a spoiled Prince Charming and a lot of the girls loved him for that. Ben was the president of his class, one of the best players on the football team next to maybe Jay who was heavily built and strong, and pretty much took care of the school. He was almost like The King of the School, even if he never viewed himself as such, unlike Audrey who believed herself to be the Queen of School. Plus there were those times he was the star of a couple of school plays and almost everybody knew him. 

He had a lot of high marks on tests and worksheets for classes and it was very perfect. It was nice being popular, but it never mattered much to him as he wanted friends to like him for who he was on the inside and not just on the outside. Hopefully he could let those feelings out because they were so easy to think and ponder on about, but whenever he had the chance to say how he felt on the inside, his mouth would play a trick on his brain and make him quiet at the last second. He never understood why or how that could be. Hopefully he would get the answer one way or another.

Soon, Ben and Clarice were being taken away to get to school. Ben heaved a sharp sigh with even more on his mind now than when he started with. Belle and Adam just hoped that their son would be all right and not stress himself out, though they didn't see anything wrong as he had no reason to be unhappy as he was a perfect young man. Ben didn't view himself as such, but didn't say anything as he just stared off into space while Clarice sang a song to herself that she learned from school as she was happy and carefree with no worry other than it being what would be her toy for Christmas that year. 

Ben heaved a sharp sigh as he held Clarice's hand and went to take her into the school that they both attended. Many other students either rushed inside or some just stood by, taking the extra time to speak with their friends about upcoming plans or anything else that was more interesting than school. Ben decided to take his time today by bringing Clarice to her class.

* * *

"Are you all right today, Ben?" Ms. Blanchard's cheerful and sweet voice suddenly asked, pulling Ben out of his reverie.

"Oh! Ms. Blanchard..." Ben blinked as he looked at the black-haired woman as she smiled kindly and warmly. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine... I'm just thinking."

"Nothing wrong with thinking in a school," Ms. Blanchard smiled. "Would you like to maybe talk about it?"

"Oh, uh, I don't know if I should..." Ben shrugged. "I'm actually planning on seeing Dr. Hopper today."

"Ah... Well, I'm sure whatever's on your mind, he can help take care of it," Ms. Blanchard smiled. "Clarice would certainly love to have her helpful and supportive big brother around."

"Yeah," Ben chuckled softly with a small smile back. "I'd love to take one of your classes again. Coloring a rainbow sure sounds more interesting than solving for X in Mr. Cogsworth's classroom."

"Very funny." Ms. Blanchard smirked as that did amuse her a bit. 

"I try," Ben shrugged. "Do you still volunteer at the hospital?"

"Every Thursday," Ms. Blanchard smiled. "You ever think of coming? Maybe you'd like to read to the kids sometime."

"I'll think about that too, Ms. Blanchard." Ben smiled back.

Then suddenly, the bell began to ring.

"Well, there's the bell," Ben then said to the woman. "I guess I better get going. It was nice seeing you again."

"Nice seeing you too, Ben," Ms. Blanchard smiled. "Have a good day."

"You too." Ben smiled back softly.

And so, Ms. Blanchard went to get ready for the day while Ben went upstairs to the bigger hallway with lockers. Many students were there and he looked around as he made his way over to the guidance counselor's door. However, before he did, he found the man as he just stepped out of the teacher's lounge. 

"Ah... Mr. French..." The tall and spiny man with frizzy red hair and glasses smiled as he ran into the boy. "Off to class, I see."

"Uh, yeah," Ben nodded. "Listen, um... If you're not too busy or have too many appointments... I'd like to step into your office today. If it's not too much trouble, I mean."

"Well, sure, I'd love the company," Dr. Hopper smiled at him. "Maybe you'd like to step inside now so we can check my schedule to see if I can pencil you in?"

"...Sure." Ben shrugged and nodded.

The two soon walked off into the office together while the other students were talking about whatever was on their minds. Mal and Evie were even talking to each other as they seemed to become best friends around overnight, even if the new girl in school didn't want to admit that, but it was obvious to those whoever saw them together.

* * *

Ben sat down across from Dr. Hopper's desk as the adult man began to start up his computer. Ben had a small, patient smile as he put his hands together, waiting as patiently as possible as he looked around the room and saw several pictures of Dr. Hopper himself and with his pet Dalmatian who had called Pongo and with an old, bearded man known as Mr. Marco Gepetto who owned the infamous Gepetto's Toy Chest which was a beloved toy store to every child in Auradon Heights, especially around Christmastime as he loved every child who came to visit him as his very own and was known to be best friends with Dr. Hopper. Eventually, the computer started up and a screensaver was shown to be a cricket-based background and oddly enough, not of Dalmatians, though Ben guessed that was Carlos's mother's job to obsess over Dalmatians. 

"Ah, here we go," Dr. Hopper smiled as he moved his mouse and clicked into the internet, coming to the school's home page before he went to his private email and checked his schedule. "I should have an opening around here somewhere."

"Take your time, but I would love to not be late for class, Dr. Hopper." Ben nodded patiently.

"Don't worry, I'll cover you if that happens, though this should only take a second," Dr. Hopper chuckled as he checked his schedule. "Hmm... What time is your lunch?" he then asked.

"12:15," Ben replied. "Though some other students make it sound like an eternity and nearly eat their own homework to eat food they don't care about, but I actually like Mrs. Lucas and Mrs. Potts' cooking."

"I do too, but I wouldn't mind some Shan Yu's Dim Sum if I can help it," Dr. Hopper smirked playfully with a light chuckle to help lighten the mood a little. "So, how about for after lunch, you come see me and I'll excuse you from class. You have Mr. Cogsworth for Math, I believe?"

"Yes, I do," Ben nodded. "He's an old friend of my parents', but he has a bad habit of droning on and on while making weak jokes during the lecture."

"All right, Ben," Dr. Hopper smiled. "I have lunch a little before you, so we can meet up after you're done eating. I can come get you in the cafeteria if you would like."

"Uh, sure, but try not to make a big fuss over it, okay?" Ben then asked. "I don't want other kids to think that I'm crazy or something."

"Ben, you have nothing to worry about coming to see the school guidance counselor," Dr. Hopper reassured calmly as he looked the boy into his hazel eyes. "Support is important to have in a school, especially if something is on your mind. Don't worry though, when you and I speak later, everything you say or do will be confidential. I'm sworn to secrecy as part of my job."

"Really?" Ben blinked. "So I could say anything I want and you wouldn't tell a soul?"

"Not even my dog, Pongo," Dr. Hopper smiled warmly. "You can trust me."

"Well, that makes me feel a little bit better." Ben said while blushing sheepishly.

"I'm glad to hear it," Dr. Hopper smiled. "So right after lunch is good with you?"

"Yes, sir," Ben nodded. "You can count on it. I'm looking forward to it."

"I am too, Ben," Dr. Hopper replied as they shook hands on it. "I'll be sure to write you a note though so you don't get in detention."

"Ooh, I wouldn't want that." Ben grimaced.

"I'm sure you wouldn't," Dr. Hopper agreed as he then stood up. "Now why don't you run along to your first period class? We'll talk some more later."

"Thanks again, Dr. Hopper." Ben smiled as he soon stood up as well and went to go out into the hallway while he still had the chance. He knew how much Coach Jenkins hated tardiness, even if he made it just as the bell rang, he had to run a lap just for being 10 seconds late.

* * *

Time seemed to go by at a snail's pace for Mal as she sat the English classroom. Evie didn't have that class with her, unfortunately, so she felt alone. Even though she met two new friends like Jay and Carlos, she would still rather talk to Evie about whatever and those two often tried to kill each other, almost like brothers. It was a bit annoying and immature. 

"Distracted today, Miss Ignus?" The teacher, Ms. Porter, asked Mal as she seemed to stare off into space.

"Huh? What?" Mal blinked. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Ms. Porter sighed and shook her head. "I was asking you if you remembered anything about _To Kill an Agrabahan Bird_ from the reading I assigned you yesterday, but I can see that your attention is lingering elsewhere right now." she then told the girl.

"I-I... I'm sorry, Ms. Porter," Mal sighed and frowned. "I'll try to pay more attention in class from now on."

"See that you do," Ms. Porter nodded at her newest student. "Save the daydreaming and creative sketching for Art Class with Mrs. Ryder."

"I-I will..." Mal nodded. "Sorry, ma'am, it won't happen again."

Ms. Porter soon went back to the front of the classroom, sighing to herself as she went to continue on with a lesson. She then decided to pair the students up into partners for a new assignment and decided to let Mal be with Jay and Carlos since she seemed to know them and decided not to overwhelm the girl with even more new faces. At least not yet as she wasn't a tough and strict teacher type, even if Mrs. Belfrey suggested that she should be in order to maintain a proper classroom filled with lazy and unimpressed teenagers. 

"Dude, falling asleep in class?" Jay smirked. "Not very good to do on your first week at a new school."

"I wasn't asleep," Mal rolled her emerald eyes. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Carlos smiled innocently. 

Mal looked between them as they looked patient and confident. "Sorry, guys," she then said to them. "It's kinda personal and I was hoping to maybe talk to Evie about it. No offense of course... I just think I need to have a bit of girl talk."

"Racist!" Jay pouted firmly.

"WHAT?!" Mal gasped at him.

"You won't talk to us because we're not girls, so that makes you racist!" Jay glared at her.

"Jay, that would make her sexist since we're boys and she's a girl, not racist," Carlos rolled his eyes. "And I doubt that Mal would be either of those things since we had so much fun talking at lunch yesterday with Evie's little brother."

"Yeah, I'm not either, but I promise, guys, it's nothing personal." Mal said to them.

"Come now, whatever it is, we can have girl talk," Carlos reassured as he smiled innocently. "Get your dish on the latest gossip and grand advice, it's Girl Talk with Carlos de Vil," he then said with a smirk, trying to sound like a radio talk show host. "I'm listening~"

"Ugh," Mal groaned, but she laughed a little bit as she face-palmed him. "You two are just impossible."

"Yeah, but you like us since you're friends with Evie," Jay smirked as he folded his arms. "You know you love us."

Mal rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It's just a girl thing, okay?" she then said to them. "Let's just worry about the assignment until I see Evie again."

"All right... You win," Carlos sighed. "I guess there are just some things you can't share with a guy friend."

"Nope," Mal replied. "I promise though, it's nothing personal."

Jay and Carlos just shrugged. Eventually, Ms. Porter assigned the students to do research based on what they were reading in the book so far and just hoped that Jay would at least remember enough of the book to tell Mal about to let her catch up, but luckily, she had one of the school's top students Carlos in her group. Eventually, the bell rang and Mal went away to her locker and sighed as she had something ringing in her mind that wasn't the class bell. Also, what she didn't know was that Coraline and Ivy were keeping a close eye on her for Audrey and luckily for Mal and her own sake, she wasn't anywhere near Ben, though he was around her, in her mind and heart for that matter.

"Hey!" Evie beamed as she was suddenly right behind Mal.

"EEK!" Mal yelped and grabbed her heart, spinning on her heels with a slight glare. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry~" Evie blushed. "I missed you in Ms. Greening's history class."

"Yeah, well, I missed you in Ms. Porter's English class," Mal replied before face-palming. "I have to do a group project based on the book and I just started school here."

"Well, at least you're in a group," Evie reassured. "Do you know the other kids in your group well?"

"Yeah, it's Jay and Carlos." Mal nodded.

"Oh... Well, you're in good hands with Carlos," Evie smiled warmly as Mal smiled back, feeling great to be talking with her since they seemed to become best friends. "Jay? Uh... Maybe not so much... He's not the best in educational classes, but Ms. Greening's history class is the class he did the best at achieving an A."

"How nice for him," Mal shrugged. "Uh... Listen... I was hoping I could talk to you about something."

"Is it that you still have my jacket from yesterday's incident in the girls' bathroom?" Evie smirked playfully.

"Huh? ...Oh. OHH!" Mal said before her eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Evie. I nearly forgot that I had that. I can give it to you tomorrow if you want."

"It's okay, take your time, I'm not mad or anything," Evie smiled reassuringly. "So, something on your mind?"

"Well... I just sorta kinda met someone new, but I... I just... Ugh..." Mal tried to explain, but she groaned as she felt frustrated in finding the right words. 

"Calm down... Slow down..." Evie said, putting her hands on Mal's shoulders. "You can tell me."

"...I just can't around here," Mal said as she looked around. "...Especially since Audrey might be around."

"Oh, don't tell me that you're afraid of that pink princess." Evie rolled her eyes, though playful and not in a mean way.

"Well, no, not really, but I'd hate to imagine what she would do," Mal replied. "She keeps talking about how she can get whatever she wants because her mom's head of the PTA and on the city council."

"Mrs. Thornley might be on the city council, but _my_ mother is still mayor," Evie smirked. "Hmm... Tell you what? We'll go see Ruby."

"Ruby?" Mal blinked. "Who's Ruby?"

"Oh, you'll see," Evie replied. "She's really cool."

Mal still looked curious, but then shrugged. "I'd rather just talk to you... No offense," she then said. "I could really use someone I know and can trust and... Well... This is really cheesy, but you feel like a sister to me."

"Aww... Mal, that is a little cheesy, but I'm flattered because I've always wanted a sister," Evie giggled and gave a small smile. "Hmm... I'll tell you what. Why don't you come over to my house this weekend and we can have a sleepover? You have had a sleepover before, have you?"

"Pfft! Of course I have, Evie," Mal rolled her eyes. "I just haven't had one in ages, so... I guess that would be cool. I'd just have to tell Mom of course."

"Yeah, you always gotta tell your mom," Evie nodded in understanding. "And even if ya don't, they'll figure out that you're just hiding something. I swear that my mother is a human lie detector sometimes."

"I figured she would be with being the mayor and whatnot." Mal smirked.

"So true," Evie smirked back. "We'll have some snacks and watch some Mickey's Creek."

"Ugh, I hear like every other kid talking about that show, but I have no idea what it is," Mal rolled her eyes. "What is it anyway?"

"Tell ya what, you wait until Friday or Saturday and I'll show you on Netflix so we can have some Netflix and chill and discuss it," Evie smirked. "I don't wanna spoil the surprise. Then we can talk about anything you want~"

"Thanks, Evie," Mal nodded. "I think I feel better already."

"I love to hear that," Evie beamed. "Hopefully the weekend comes soon. I swear, the first week of school is always eternal, so you must be exhausted."

"Yeah, I wanted it to be Friday last Saturday." Mal chuckled.

Both of the girls laughed before the bell rang and it was time for them to head off to their next class for the time being. 

"Just remember, sleepover this weekend, you and me," Evie smiled. "We'll even stop by Sugar Rush Ice Cream Cafeteria."

"Ice cream is good." Mal nodded.

"Yep, it solves any world problem in the universe." Evie giggled.

Mal rolled her eyes to that, but in a playful way. She could tell though that no matter what was going to happen from now on in Auradon Heights, she would be able to find Evie in the space between and they would become best friends forever. She just wished she could open up her new and recent feelings, but it was hard to let them out somehow, especially with Audrey hounding her for even looking at Ben when she barely even knew him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read with caution as this chapter contains a bit of violence and profanity. You have been warned.

**_RI-I-I-I-I-I-IN-N-N-N-NG!_** went the bell to signal more classes coming and going. Ben was in the cafeteria, eating up his lunch which was a cheeseburger with a side of fries. 

"Yo, Ben," Chad said as he strode over with a small smirk. "You wanna head off to the blacktop after lunch and get some practice in for Coach Jenkins before our next game against those Sherwood Phonies?"

"Uh, sorry, Chad, I'm kinda busy after lunch today," Ben replied as he swallowed the bite he was currently chewing. "Maybe you can practice with Jay for me."

"Oh, you're too busy, huh?" Chad huffed. "You're my best friend, Ben. You're not allowed to be busy."

"It's personal, okay?" Ben replied. "It's nothing bad, I promise you."

"Is it about your little sister?" Chad asked. "Look, I've been telling you for years. Little sisters are nothing but trouble. My little sister always used to tell me 'I hate you'."

Ben bore a deadpan look on his face. "Chad, Alexandra was two when she said that," he then reminded cynically. "All she could say was 'I hate you' and 'I gotta go pee'."

"Come on, why can't you come meet me after lunch?" Chad begged.

"I'm just gonna talk to Dr. Hopper about something," Ben defended. "Okay? Can I finish up my lunch now?"

"Dr. Hopper?" Chad asked. "...You know that only crazy kids with no life or plans go to see him. And you... You have it all... Your dad's a major CEO in business, you've been on the Honor Roll for four years now, you're a star athlete, you're the King of the School. What would you need to talk to him about?" he asked with a huffing smirk.

"I just have a lot on my mind that I need a little extra help with, Chad," Ben defended as he continued to bite into his burger while he still had time to eat. "It's not like The Dragon's Lair. I'm not committing social suicide."

"All right, but don't come crawling back to me if the girls start looking you funny for going to see that weird man." Chad shrugged as he soon turned around and walked away from the table.

"Why don't you just go talk to Aziz or something if you wanna hang out with someone after lunch?" Ben suggested. "It's not always about you, Chad."

"Yes, it is!" Chad defended. "My parents said so!"

"Oh, my God..." Ben groaned and shook his head in annoyance from his so-called best friend's overly dramatic behavior.

* * *

Eventually, Ben went to put his tray away, about to dump his leftovers in the trashcan outside before looking over as he heard some whining. He then saw a stray dog had somehow wandered onto campus and he looked a bit concerned and curious. Curious as to where the dog possibly even came from. He didn't seem to mind or care though as he kept his distance in case the dog had rabies or anything else fatal and laid out his leftovers in front of the dog. The dog soon approached the food and sniffed it before gobbling it up right away.

"There ya go, dude," Ben smiled warmly. "Eat up. You could use it more than me. I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach, luckily for you."

The dog soon began to eat up and beamed as its tail wagged as it looked up at Ben, barking a bit.

"I think that's a thank you," Ben remarked as he went to give his tray to the lunch ladies to wash. "In that case, you're welcome." 

The dog barked again as its tail wagged. Ben smiled warmly and soon stepped back inside of the school and came into the cafeteria, giving the tray over to Mrs. Lucas in the backroom. He was on his way right out the doors of the cafeteria, only to run into someone who came to see him right away.

"Ah, Ben, hello," Dr. Hopper smiled. "You ready to chat?"

"Uh, yes, Dr. Hopper," Ben nodded. "Let's get going."

And so, the two were brought inside the office and it was eerily dead silent. The only sounds heard were muffled chats in the hallway from passing by students and their shoes squeaking against the tiled floor, occasional locker door slams, and Dr. Hopper's clock ticking every other millisecond. Ben sat across from the man who took out a clipboard and clicked his pen and adjusted his glasses with a very small nervous, but as friendly as possible smile. 

"All right, Ben, whenever you're ready," Dr. Hopper said to the teenage boy. "You can call me 'Dr. Hopper' or 'Archie', whichever you'd like in my office. I just want you to be comfortable."

"Uh, well, thanks," Ben shrugged as he sat down. "So... What do I talk about?"

"Whatever you'd like," Dr. Hopper smiled. "Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself? I know a great deal of you, being on the Honor Roll, becoming Student of the Year a couple of times, the star quarterback on our school's football team. You might even make Dean's List if you're lucky and you haven't ever received a single detention or demerit in your school career. That's very impressive." he then remarked.

"Uh, thanks," Ben nodded. "Well... My name is Benjamin Maurice French, my birthday is June 27th, my parents are Belle and Adam French, I have a little sister named Clarice French."

"All right, I get it," Dr. Hopper chuckled playfully, though he smiled softly to show that he wasn't being mean about his laughter. "Tell me a little more about you... Who is Ben French? What does he do when he's not in school?"

"Well... Uh... Normally if she doesn't have Dance Class with Ms. Odette, I'll be looking after my little sister," Ben explained. "I make sure we both get our homework done. Mom's not as busy as Dad, but it's usually just the two of us after school."

"You don't feel lonely, do you?" Dr. Hopper asked.

"Not really, no," Ben shook his head. "And I love having a little sister. I would've preferred a little brother to play sports with and practice for after school before a game comes up though." he then added with a small chuckle. 

"Oh, sure, I can understand that," Dr. Hopper chuckled a bit. "So, what do you do when you're not doing homework or practicing for a big game?"

"I'll play tea party with my little sister," Ben replied. "We usually like to pretend to be a prince and a princess. Sometimes I wish being that age, so happy and carefree with no worries other than Christmas toys that year or enough candy for Halloween."

"Yes, being a child can be a wonderful thing," Dr. Hopper nodded. "That's why we shouldn't grow up so fast because then we'll just feel like our whole lives have gone by and we'd just wish we could be kids again."

"I hear that," Ben smirked before sharply sighing. "It's just... I do so much for the school and I make good grades. I just... I don't know... I'm happy and proud of myself, my parents are very proud of me, I just... I feel like something's missing... I don't understand. I have everything I could ever want, but I'm not sure."

"Well, Ben, you're one of the very lucky kids where everything has been handed to you and you have very many accomplishments for a young man your age," Dr. Hopper tried to explain. "And luckily, you're too polite to brag about it even if some kids are jealous of you."

"Yeah... Lots of my friends are... Like Chad," Ben nodded. "So, what's wrong with me?"

"Well, what do you feel?" Dr. Hopper asked.

"Huh?" Ben blinked.

"What I mean to say is... How do you feel?" Dr. Hopper explained. "You have great parents, a wonderful family, so many accomplishments, you have every reason to feel proud and glad... But how do you feel about it?"

"...N-Nothing..." Ben said with a small shrug. "I just... I feel like I'm feeling nothing. I'm not sure why when I have such a wonderful life and no reason for it to bother me. I used to tell Audrey some things, though sometimes I feel like she wasn't fully listening to me sometimes."

"Well, if I were to guess, I would say you're a driven young man and sometimes that can leave a hole." Dr. Hopper advised.

"A what?" Ben asked with wide hazel eyes.

"A hole. An emptiness," Dr. Hopper explained. "There's more to life than work. Maybe that's why you feel dissatisfied."

"I am not dissatisfied. I love my life." Ben defended, though not in a crude way. 

"What's the point if you've got no one to share it with?" Dr. Hopper countered.

"What does that mean?" Ben frowned. "My family--"

"Isn't always there though, right?" Dr. Hopper reminded. "Aren't you often home alone after school?"

"Yeah, my dad's a CEO for his company," Ben nodded. "Sometimes Aunt Lacey comes by with my uncle and little cousin Gideon during a trip out of town and he takes Mom with him since Clarice and I have to go to school." 

"You just seem to be alone, especially more so since you broke up with Audrey," Dr. Hopper replied. "Has there ever been a time in your life when you haven't felt this way?"

"A long time ago back when me and Audrey were still dating," Ben said with a small smile. "Her smiling face and us hanging out usually put me in a good mood. Is it weird to suddenly think of good and happy times with her even though we had a terribly messy break-up?" he then asked softly, concerned about his own well-being. 

"A girlfriend, boyfriend, or any other significant other," Dr. Hopper smiled warmly. "That can bring so much meaning."

Ben gave a small smile back as he began to feel a little bit better and began to think and feel that maybe Dr. Hopper was right. It was time to move on from his messy break-up with Audrey and go and find someone else. Someone new. Someone... Who can maybe fill the hole deep inside himself, but who?

* * *

Some time had passed in school. Mal closed her locker door as she heaved a sharp sigh after leaving the cafeteria and yawned after running a lot of laps for Coach Jenkins. She then memorized the way over to Mrs. Ryder's class, looking forward to the class as she actually loved to make her own sketches and was excited to put her talents into good use, plus it was the one time you could draw in class without getting into trouble. 

"Hello, Mallory." The long-haired blonde woman smiled wonderfully towards Mal.

"Hello, Mrs. Ryder," Mal nodded her head, even if she didn't like that name either, though it was still better than "Malissa Bertha" and this woman was probably her most favorite teacher in the whole school so far. "Hope you're ready for some sketches."

"I sure am ready to see what you have in store today." Mrs. Ryder smiled. 

Mal gave a small smile back and went to sit in her seat which was next to a couple of kids she was getting to know better. Or at least trying. Plus Evie was in the class with her, so she told her about the two known as Aziz and Jordan and the boy and girl were childhood best friends, though she figured seeds of romance would blossom soon between them, but only time would tell. 

"Good afternoon, class," Mrs. Ryder greeted. "I trust we had a nice lunch today and are ready to get back to work?"

"At least the food was actually edible this time." Jordan snarked.

A lot of the other students laughed as Jordan was a bit of a comedian in the class.

"Very funny, Jordan," Mrs. Ryder playfully rolled her spring-green eyes. "Now, I want you all to sketch something for me before you have 'Free Draw' and I'll discuss your homework."

"Best class ever," Mal smirked. "Can't I take this class every period?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," Mrs. Ryder smirked back. "But I did love painting a lot when I was younger and was always in a hurry to get home from school so that I could do it."

Some of the students laughed at that little joke. It wasn't _that_ funny, but they thought they would humor her at least. She soon came over to a covered up item on her desk and placed it on the table in front of the classroom and removed the tarp to show that it appeared to be a wooden-carved reptile which was that of a chameleon. The class "oohed and awed" at the sight.

"Mrs. Ryder, it's beautiful." One of the boys commented politely.

"Thank you, Douglas," Mrs. Ryder smiled. "I had it carved in the resemblance of my own pet chameleon. His name is Pascal."

"Sounds like a cool pet," Mal commented with a smirk. "We used to have an annoying bird when I was a kid."

The students then laughed again.

"Yes, yes, very funny," Mrs. Ryder nodded. "Now, I would like everyone to take out your pencils and please sketch Pascal in any way that you would like."

"Yes, Mrs. Ryder." The students nodded.

"Super!" Mrs. Ryder smiled. "Now remember, if anyone needs any help or wants any tips, feel free to ask me. I'm your teacher, so I'm here to help you."

The students nodded and went to get to sketching. Mal soon went to take out her velvet bag that she kept her regular pencils, colored pencils, and erasers inside, though she saw that she didn't have it. She then raised her hand as Mrs. Ryder took out her paints and decided to do a little painting while everyone else began to scribble with their pencils. 

"Uh! Excuse me!" Mal spoke up since Mrs. Ryder had her back turned as her hand was raised. "Mrs. Ryder?"

"Oh, uh, yes, Mal?" Mrs. Ryder replied as she faced the girl.

"I think I forgot my velvet bag," Mal said. "Could I go out to my locker and get it?"

"I suppose you could, but you should always come to class prepared, Mal," Mrs. Ryder reminded. "Please take the hall pass and hurry back and no dawdling."

"Yes, ma'am, I understand." Mal nodded as she soon got up from her seat and walked over to the front of the classroom to the door and walked outside after taking the hall pass from the teacher.

Mrs. Ryder smiled warmly and she soon went back to her painting.

* * *

Mal soon stepped out of the classroom and went to get to her locker. Just as she stepped into the hallway, she heard hot air running behind the bathroom door, and soon, out came Audrey who then smirked.

"Why, isn't that the new girl in town?" Audrey smirked as she noticed Mal.

"Hi, Audrey." Mal forced herself to say as she narrowed her eyes and soon came to her locker, fiddling with the combination.

"What's the matter?" Audrey smirked. "You get kicked out of class early for bad behavior?"

"Leave me alone, dammit." Mal grumbled.

"Oh, my... It has a temper..." Audrey tutted and shook her head. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. That sort of behavior will get you detention and it would be a shame to get detention on your first week of school."

"And it would be a shame if I buried you alive," Mal retorted as she soon got her locker door open and soon went to get her supply bag out once she saw it on the higher platform of her locker. "Ah, there you are... I could've sworn I put you in my backpack."

"You shouldn't threaten The Queen of School," Audrey smirked. "That would be terrible for your r-r-r-reputation~" she then added, trilling the R a bit to sound like a queen.

"Look, Audrey, I'm not in the mood right now," Mal glared as she slammed her locker door shut as she grabbed her bag. "Why don't you go back to the sewers with the rest of the rats?"

"Well!" Audrey glared as Mal soon stormed off to get back to Art Class. "At least I don't live in the sewers in the middle of nowhere with all the other losers."

Mal narrowed her eyes, but she tried to bite her tongue and hold back her anger. Yes, detention on the first week of school would be a major bummer. Not to mention how her mother would probably react. "Lily never got detention." That's a bit of a lie though. After all, what normal kid hasn't gotten at least one detention in their lives? 

Luckily, Mal made it back to class and she soon began to sketch the wooden sculpture in front of her. She soon smirked a bit devilishly as she drew herself riding on Pascal's back and making him more like a fire-breathing dragon and blowing out flames towards Audrey who began to run away and scream. Mal even snickered rather darkly as she began to shade against the flames, looking very proud at her rather morbid artwork. It made her feel somewhat better, she just hoped that Mrs. Ryder wouldn't overreact to it like most teachers and suggest she go and visit the school counselor because she might have some "issues she needed to work out" in a "constructive manner". Though, Mrs. Ryder wasn't that kind of teacher as she just saw it as Mal releasing her inner psyche and using it on a creative outlet such as drawing her feelings away.

* * *

After Art Class, it was time for the school to take a break. The younger kids in Kindergarten through fifth grade were out on the blacktop and playing on the playground. The older kids, however, were either in the library or hanging out in the hallways before their final class for the day. Mal liked that she was given time to relax and recharge her batteries before her next and final class for the day and she would be in the sweet release of home. Thank goodness too because today was a rather peculiar day for her. She seemed to had gotten over her anger with Audrey, but unfortunately for her, that wasn't going to last long, especially before History class with Mr. Thatch who droned on for what felt like an eternity and he was kind of a geeky guy. He was like the school nerd all grown up and even wore a bow-tie with giant glasses. Evie didn't seem to be around in the hallway today, so it seemed that Mal was on her own for right now and decided to maybe stop into the library to maybe chill out on the computer going to visit the sites that the school would allow her access to. 

"Going somewhere, Mal?" A familiarly obnoxious voice smirked.

"UGH!" Mal groaned before she sharply turned around, recognizing the voice instantly as she saw Audrey, Ivy, and Coraline smirking fiendishly at her. "WHAT NOW?!"

"Ooh, _someone's_ in a bad mood." Audrey smirked.

"You're so right, Audrey," Ivy smirked back. "I think that someone woke up on the wrong side of the cage this morning."

"More like the barn because you stink, Mal!" Coraline added.

"So original," Mal rolled her eyes. "Your mom pat you on the back for that one after you remembered to bring your brains to school today?"

The three catty girls just laughed. They all sounded more worse, if not, grating when they all laughed together. Like a trio of hyenas who ingested nitrus oxide. 

"Go away..." Mal demanded.

"Aww... You don't like our company?" Audrey smirked as she followed right behind Mal who began to storm off. "Why not, Mal? We're all friends here, don't you know?"

"Well, I don't wanna be friends with prissy cheerleaders like you!"

"Ooh, ow, that stings... Ow, ow... Careful before you hurt my feelings~"

"Funny, I didn't think you had any." Mal smirked sardonically. 

"You better not talk to me like that," Audrey warned as she grabbed Mal's arm suddenly. "We're not done here and you shouldn't mess with me. My mother--"

"Your mother..." Mal grumbled as a crowd began to form around them. "Your mother, your mother, your mother, your mother, your mother..." she repeated, sounding more and more pissed off as she said those two words sourly. "Who _gives_ a rat's ass ABOUT YOUR MOTHER?!"

The other students gasped. 

"Everybody does!" Audrey glared, looking venomous in her gaze. "And since you're new here, you should too! And besides, at least I'm popular and you're just a nobody that no one will ever care about."

"So you're popular! So your mom has a high status! So your parents spoil you rotten like you're some kinda fairy tale princess!" Mal hissed. "Big! Freakin'! DEAL! I could care LESS about what your parents do, especially your mother! I may be new here, but I know an irritating and pesky little bitch when I see one!"

"BITCH?!" Audrey glared.

"YEAH!" Mal glared back. "In fact, I think you need to be kept on a short leash!"

"You can't talk to me like that!" Audrey huffed as she shoved Mal hardly against the lockers. "I'll tell my parents and they'll have you evicted away from your house and you'll never be able to show your butt ugly face in this school ever again!"

Jane walked by and gasped as she put her hands to her mouth and soon dashed from the crowd as they watched Mal and Audrey go at it. 

"What's... What's going on?" Ben wondered to himself as he saw the crowd forming. 

"Sounds good by me at this point!" Mal glared as she shoved Audrey back. "It sure beats having to see your bitch face five days a week! I don't care who you are or how popular and rich you are, just stay out of my way if you know what's good for you!"

"How dare you!" Audrey glared back.

"What're you gonna do about it?" Mal scowled. "Tell your Mommy and Daddy that the big mean girl beat you up? Bring it, Princess Pinky! I SAID BRING IT!"

Audrey then reached out and slapped Mal's face. Mal let out a small yelp, but soon grabbed Audrey by her wrist and pulled her arm right behind her back and restrained her. Coraline and Ivy came in to try to swarm in and stop Mal, but she soon punched and kicked them both away in a blind fury and soon shoved Audrey down to the floor and before the brunette girl could get back up off of the floor, Mal suddenly tackled her down to the floor and began to beat her up. 

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" The other students chanted in amazement and excitement. 

Mal growled like a jungle predator as she wrestled Audrey to the ground. The other students weren't sure how strong Mal was, but they were certain that if she wanted to, she could actually kill Audrey right in the middle of the hallway. The students laughed and cheered before gasping as an adult was coming.

* * *

"Oh, my Land!" Mrs. Fairgood gasped as she rushed in through the crowd with her daughter and saw that Mal was brutally maiming Audrey. "Miss Ignus, you stop that right now!"

Mal looked over and flinched once she saw Mrs. Fairgood right in front of her now, looking completely and utterly mortified at the display. "H-H-Headmistress Fairgood, I can explain..." she stuttered fearfully and nervously. "Y-Y-You have to l-listen to me!"

"Listen to her?" Audrey complained as she was badly bruised and even had a black eye and a bloody nose. "You should listen to me! She just attacked me for no reason!"

"Well, if you weren't such a meddling bitch, I probably wouldn't have bothered you in the first place." Mal glowered.

"Language, Miss Ignus," Mrs. Fairgood scolded. "Now... Since it's your first week with us--"

"I won't be sent to your office?" Mal finished nervously and hopefully.

"I won't send you home early, but I do think you should learn the rules of your new school and our no-bullying policy, especially in attacking other students," Mrs. Fairgood countered firmly. "I'm really sorry to do this, Miss Ignus, but I'm afraid I have to send you... To detention."

That last word echoed in Mal's mind and it pierced her soul. She was no stranger to getting a detention, especially in her old school, but in this new school, she felt it was tarnishing to her reputation. She just couldn't believe that this just happened as she looked like she was trying very hard not to cry.

"Jane, please take Miss Thornley over to the school nurse at once." Mrs. Fairgood told her daughter.

"Yes, ma'am." Jane nodded as she soon went to do what was asked of her as she escorted Audrey out of the circle of other students.

The warning to get to class bell soon rang and the crowding students soon decided to get over to class while they had the chance. 

"I'm very angry and disappointed," Mrs. Fairgood told Mal once it was just the two of them as she brought out a pink slip and filled it out, forcing Mal to take it. "Now, I suggest you head over to your final class as well otherwise you will have two detentions in one day. Do I make myself clear, Miss Ignus?"

"Yes, ma'am..." Mal said softly and shallowly.

"Good," Mrs. Fairgood nodded as she went back to her office. "Now... I hope I can trust you to call your mother and tell her you might need to be picked up from school today."

Mal watched the woman go as she blinked rapidly before her eyes itched with leaking tears. She then sniffled as she was all alone in the hallway and she began to shiver and shake as she let out a mighty big cry. She just wished she could disappear right now and get out of here. A door was heard opening and closing and shoes clicked across the floor as a sweet giggle was heard which Mal recognized instantly. 

"Looks like I got back just in time," Evie giggled to herself as she soon came upstairs, passing Mal in the hall. "Sorry about that, Mal, but Mom's gonna take Henry after school today, so I was wondering if--" she then looked over and saw her new friend was welled up with tears and looked very depressed. "What... What's wrong...?" she then asked as her tone of voice suddenly changed from bubbly to empathetic. 

Mal just covered her face, crying as she shook her head.

"Mal... What is it?" Evie asked as she knelt down beside her fallen friend. "You can tell me?"

Mal didn't say anything and soon held out the detention slip. 

Evie soon took the slip and frowned softly as she put two and two together instantly. "Ohhhh..." she then said. "Mal... I-I'm sorry... And this is your first week of school and Audrey Thornley is the Queen of the School..."

Mal just kept on crying as she sniffled. "I didn't even wanna move to this shitty place anyway," she then said as her voice cracked as she had a lump in her throat. "I just wanna go home."

"Well... I'm afraid I can't take you home," Evie frowned softly. "At least... Not right now."

"I know, Evie," Mal pouted as she wiped her eyes and looked so emotional. "I barely ever cry, but here I am, crying in school."

"Can't your mom help you?" Evie asked softly. 

"I doubt she'd be home or even care," Mal sniffled. "Mom only ever paid attention to Lily anyway. I don't feel like going home anyway, but I have to tell her about the detention... How else would I get home from school today?"

Evie soon scooted closer and wrapped her arm around Mal and helped her up to her feet. "Listen," she then said softly. "How about I walk you to class? We can't leave school early, I especially can't since I have to make sure Henry gets home safely, but after school, we'll go to get ice cream and you can come home with me when Mom picks up Henry to take him to his doctor's appointment."

"But you don't have a detention." Mal sniffled.

"I'll wait for you in the library," Evie replied. "And if you don't believe me, visit the library before leave campus."

"Yeah, right," Mal scoffed a bit dreadfully. "You're gonna be waiting right there for me after detention is over? You're probably gonna ditch me... I deserve it anyway. Throw myself in the school dumpster because I'm garbage."

"You are _not_ garbage," Evie said as she led Mal down the hallway to get her to class on time so she wouldn't get another demerit for it. "You are the most amazing, interesting, and extraordinary girl I've ever met in my life and that's coming from the heart. So that's why you and me are having an ice cream date as soon as detention is over. Ice cream will cure whatever ails you."

"Yeah... I guess that's true..." Mal said, sounding a little bit better as her voice still sounded a bit dry and weak as she cleared her throat.

"Here... Get a drink before you go to class." Evie suggested.

Mal soon looked over to see a water fountain and soon pushed against it and sipped against the water that came from it. Evie then lightly stroked Mal on the back. Eventually, Mal and Evie shared small smiles with each other and they soon made it to the History classroom. 

"Well, this is it," Evie told Mal. "Just try not to get detention even if Mr. Thatch puts you to sleep."

Mal laughed a little softly. "Thanks, Evie," she said with a small smile. "You're such a good friend."

"Well, I sure as heck try," Evie smiled back before she soon hugged Mal good and tight, lightly patting her on the back. "You'll see... It won't be so bad after you spend an hour after school."

"An hour?!" Mal groaned.

"You'll live... I promise..." Evie said softly.

Mal heaved a sharp sigh as she soon stepped in the classroom first. "I sure hope you're right." 

Evie then followed in after and the two girls took their respective seats. Luckily, they made it just in time as the bell rang and Mr. Thatch came inside the classroom and shut the door behind him, locking it so that he could start class.

* * *

The class went by fine, but what was coming after it began to feel worse and worse. Mal eyed the detention slip she was given and was told to go see a "Mr. Sidney" in Room 490. She soon began to look and find the classroom as quickly as she could because if she was late to detention, that would just result in another detention. She wished Evie could be there to show her how to get there, but unfortunately, the other girl had another important matter right now.

* * *

Evie held Henry's hand as she led him out of their school. Everyone headed right for their buses or parents' cars or walked back home. 

"Afternoon, my children," Regina greeted as she saw them. "Evelyn, if you'd like, you can come to the doctor with us or I can take you home right now so you can get started on your homework."

"Heh..." Evie grinned bashfully at the latter option. "Actually, Mom, I was wondering if I could stay in school for an extra hour and bring a friend home with me for dinner?"

"...Staying after school for an hour?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Yes, ma'am," Evie nodded. "I have to help a friend with something very important."

"...Well, I suppose that would be all right," Regina replied. "Are you sure you can make it back home on your own?"

"Yes, Mom, we'll even use the shortcut through the beach," Evie reassured as she nodded. "And if you want, if the Ice Cream Cafeteria is open, I'll bring you something back."

"Hm... Well, I have a sweet tooth..." Regina smirked. 

"Hey! What about me?" Henry piped up from the backseat. "Don't I get ice cream too for going to see the doctor?"

"Well... I would love to get you some ice cream too," Evie smirked. "If it's okay with Mom first."

"All right, he can have ice cream," Regina replied. "Just don't eat them all before dinner. I don't want you to spoil your appetite." she then added as a light joke.

"Yes, Mom, thanks," Evie smiled and nodded. "I'll see you in time for dinner."

"Very well," Regina replied. "Good luck with helping your friend. You also know our favorite flavors by now."

"Thanks!" Evie nodded and the car soon took off riding down the road into town. She then turned herself around and began to climb up the front steps and went to head to the library as promised. "Oh, I sure hope Mal found Mr. Sidney's room alright. He hates tardiness probably more than Mrs. Belfrey."

* * *

Mr. Sidney was a very firm and strict man. He always had a harsh glare on his bearded face like he was always angry about something. He often kept an eye on the students who would sit in his room like he was trying to make sure that they wouldn't try to escape or anything. Mal decided to take the extra hour to do a little sketching, plotting the end of Audrey as she was very infuriated with the girl, especially with how she got off the hook and landing Mal in detention. She glanced all around the room though, seeing the other students she had shared the room with and knew some of them based on their descriptions that Evie, Carlos, and Jay had given her whenever she had a question about them.

There was of course Tilly from her homeroom who folded her arms over her desk and was fast asleep. Mal was surprised by how hard-nosed and strict Mr. Sidney appeared to be that he allowed her to sleep, probably because that was the only way she couldn't get into even more trouble. She also saw a black-haired girl with piercing gray eyes who was known as Ginny Gardener. She didn't know much about Ginny yet except that she was a fashion diva like Evie, but probably in a negative way and often critical of how others look and how she's one of the few students who can pull off wearing the same uniform and looking amazing in it. 

There was a sassy looking girl with braided black hair and had some turquoise coloring in it. She smirked right at Mal like she was trying to plot her demise like she was trying to plot Audrey's. This girl was known as Uma McClain and was a well-known bully. Not like Audrey though, Uma was said to had chased one girl in the hallway just by looking at her funny in the cafeteria and beat her to a pulp and tossed her in the school dumpster. Uma was also said to be in her family's business which was Captain Hook & Ursula's Fish & Chips: a family pirate-themed restaurant where everyone dressed like pirates or sailors with lots of songs, treasure hunting, and a lot of other gimmicky stuff. Mal laughed off the description, especially from the fast-food aspect, but seeing Uma up close was a bit intimidating. Mal decided to just tune out the rest of her detention sentence which seemed to last a lot longer than she anticipated.

* * *

Eventually, Mr. Sidney nodded his head as it was now 4:00 and he stood up from his desk. "Detention is over." he then told the students, sounding a bit dry, thick, and sharp in tone of voice.

The kids then wasted no time in fleeing out of the room like they were running for their lives. Mal heaved a sharp sigh in relief and soon got up and grabbed her things and went for the library. She doubted Evie would even still be there, assuming that the other girl would be gone already. Just waiting five minutes and then giving up and going to the Mall or something. However, to her surprise, she saw that Evie was still there and was reading a magazine and listening to music on her phone with ear buds. 

"Oh... Evie... You're still here?" Mal asked as she came in.

Evie didn't answer her right away.

"I thought you would've gone back home by now." Mal continued.

Evie still didn't answer as she flipped through the pages.

"EVIE!" Mal shouted.

"Shh!" A brunette girl shushed from where she stood behind one of the bookshelves.

"Sorry." Mal winced bashfully.

"Oh! Mal!" Evie said as she took out one of her earbuds and spoke in a hushed tone of voice. "I guess I was so soaked up in this magazine quiz that I lost track of time."

Mal playfully rolled her eyes with a small smile. "You waited for me all this time?" she then asked.

"Hey, I said that I would wait for you," Evie reminded. "I don't break promises, Mal. I have a little brother."

"Well... Thanks..." Mal said softly as she nodded. "I guess we'll get out of school now then?"

"Come on," Evie smiled. "Let's get you some ice cream and then I insist that you stay for dinner with me, Henry, and my parents."

"Well... All right," Mal smiled back. "Guess it's better than going home and trying to explain to Mom what happened in school today."

Evie then put up her magazine and stopped her music as she wrapped up her ear buds wire around her phone and slid it into her pocket and stashed away her magazine into her bag. She then offered her arm to Mal with a small smile.

"Uh... What're you doing?" Mal blinked in confusion.

"Arm linking," Evie smiled. "You never did this to a friend back home?"

"No... Not really..." Mal said before shrugging and she soon linked arms with Evie. "Oh... That feels nice."

"Yes, it's a lot of fun," Evie smiled as she linked arms back with Mal and they soon walked off and left the library. "Thanks for letting us in, Sophie!" she then called out to a girl around their age who had mousy brown hair and a red ribbon in her hair.

"Shh!" The girl reminded as she sat behind the check-out desk.

"Man, that girl likes it quiet, huh?" Mal asked Evie on the way out. "Is she even old enough to be a school librarian?"

"Sophie's almost always in the school library," Evie replied as they began to leave their school. "She's probably one of Mr. Sidney's favorite students. That's about all I know about her, she's usually quiet and by herself a lot."

"Mr. Sidney? Oh, right... Mr. Sunshine..." Mal replied sarcastically. "Would it kill that guy to smile?"

"It probably would." Evie joked.

The two girls laughed a bit as they soon left the school and the sun seemed to shine brighter, especially for Mal after being locked up in detention for an extra hour of school. 


	7. Chapter 7

After the detention torture ceased, Evie took Mal right over to the beach even if it was a bit too cold to go swimming today. While they were there, there was a black-haired girl ahead of them, pushing a girl with brown/reddish hair, in a wheelchair across the wooden boardwalk. Her wheels rattled against the board cracks on the deck which was a bit of a distracting sound, though mostly for Mal as everyone else didn't seem to be as bothered by it as she was. Probably because they were used to it. They soon opened the door, ringing the bell inside the "Ice Cream Cafeteria" which seemed to be a cozy and comfortable parlor place so far. 

"Hey, Melody," Evie greeted the black-haired girl before looking down at the other girl in the wheelchair. "Hey, Arabella."

"Hey, Evie." The other two girls greeted.

Mal just stood there plainly, looking a little confused.

"Oh, Mal," Evie smiled as she faced her new friend. "This is Melody Seaward and her cousin Arabella. They're a couple of good friends of mine."

"Oh... Hi." Mal blinked and waved politely.

"You're the new girl in school, aren't you?" Arabella guessed.

"Yes, I am," Mal nodded. "I, uh, came here from Moor Isles."

"That sounds like a mysterious name," Melody commented. "Maybe I could explore it someday if I'm not going 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." she then giggled at her own inside joke as Arabella and Evie laughed along.

"Melody's the best swimmer in school," Evie explained to Mal. "You should really check her out sometime. Do you like to swim, Mal?"

"Sometimes, yeah." Mal nodded, feeling awkward in the conversation since she didn't know these girls.

Eventually, a blonde woman stepped out from behind the front counter with a menu with items that had the most unusual and unique names such as "Vanellope Vanilla", wearing a white and silver dress with her blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail. 

"Hi, Auntie Vanilla," Melody smiled. "We'll have our usual today."

"Of course, Melody. Hello there, Arabella," The blonde woman nodded before looking over. "Oh, Evie, I see you made a new friend today."

"She's new in school, Auntie Vanilla." Evie replied.

"Gives her time to decide what she'd like, huh?" The blonde woman smirked before going in the back. 

"Auntie Vanilla...?" Mal asked out of confusion.

"That's just the name she goes by," Evie explained. "I think her name's actually Gilda or something like that. You'll like this place, Mal, it's a good place to go to cheer up after a rough day, especially with what happened with you in the hallway and Audrey earlier."

"Yeah..." Mal stared down at the floor awkwardly.

"Oh... That was you?" Melody asked Mal. "You won't hurt us, right?"

"No, no, I wouldn't do that," Mal shook her head. "I promise. I just..."

"She was just having a tough day, Melody," Evie reassured the black-haired girl. "Mal's pretty cool."

"Oh... Well, I sure hope so..." Melody said softly.

Mal sighed sharply as she stared at the walls of the ice cream shop. There seemed to be several cutesy, almost chibi-like portraits of young boys and girls that looked like crayon drawings. Above the portraits was a plaque that read "SUGAR RUSH KIDS HALL OF FAME" and beside it was a couple of arcade games with steering wheels for a racing game and seats for kids to sit in and pretend like they were in the race themselves of "Sugar Rush Speedway". All of this cuteness and "Sugar Rush" fluff was enough to make Mal feel like this place tasted like diabetes. 

"So, what kind of ice cream do you want, Mal?" Evie asked.

"Uh... I dunno... What kinda flavors do they have here?" Mal shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad you asked," Evie smiled as she knew all of the flavor names by heart. "You can get a Schweet Vanellope Vanilla Cone or Fluggerbutter Kit-Kart, Taffyta Strawberry Lightning, Adorabeezle Ice Rocket, Candlehead Ice Creamer, Jubileena Cherriot, Snowanna Fro Cone, Crumbelina Tira-Missle, Gloyd Pumpkin Kernel, Swizzle Tongue Twister, Minty Veloci-Wrapper--"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mal soon said, hearing enough. "What is up with those names?"

"Oh, uh, I dunno," Evie shrugged. "I didn't come up with them, but they sure sound more exciting than vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate, don't they?"

Mal gave her a look before she soon nodded with a small shrug in returned response. "Yeah, I guess you have a point," she then said. "I guess I'll think about it a little bit until it's our turn."

"Super!" Evie smiled. 

The girls soon went to get their ice cream treats. Auntie Vanilla seemed nice enough so far and she mentioned that Mal wouldn't need to pay for her first ice cream cone anyway since she was a brand new customer and this was on the house. Mal decided to take plain vanilla, for now, to get a taste for Auradon Heights' ice cream and luckily, it was a lot better than what she used to eat at the Moor Isles. Auradon Heights just seemed a lot more like paradise compared to her former home and thought maybe that was for the better, even if she hated moving away from her old school and old friends against her will.

* * *

"So, Evie, I've noticed the beach says 'Storybrooke Beach: Home of Castle Playground'," Mal said as she sat on one side of the bench with Evie next to her as she held her ice cream cone close which was the Taffyta Strawberry Lightning. "What's Storybrooke?"

"Oh... Well, my mom says that this neighborhood was called Storybrooke like 20 years ago or something," Evie replied with a small shrug. "I guess they just forgot to change the name of the beach or they liked it. I guess we're all just descendants of Storybroooke."

"Descendants of Storybrooke?" Mal repeated curiously.

"That's my guess anyway, but a long time ago before I was born, Auradon Heights was known as Storybrooke," Evie informed as she licked her Adorabeezle Ice Rocket. "Kind of a funny name if you ask me."

"Better than Moor Isles." Mal rolled her emerald eyes in response.

"Yeah... Or Emerald City." Evie chuckled.

"Emerald City does sound pretty, but I guess you're just saying that because you're school rivals." Mal remarked.

"Yeah, probably up there with Sherwood or Narnia," Evie nodded with a small smirk. "I can't believe in the final game at the end of the semester, we gotta have a banquet dinner with Sherwood. That's gonna kill a lot of the players in the game."

Mal chuckled a bit as she licked her Schweet Vanellope Vanilla cone. They seemed to have a really great time together so far, more than just best friends now, but more like sisters. 

Eventually, they finished their frozen dairy treats and Evie stepped back inside as she just remembered something. "Excuse me," she then told her friend. "I'll be right back. If Mom asks where I went, tell her I went to see Auntie Vanilla again for a moment."

"Okay, Evie." Mal smiled and nodded. 

Evie smiled back as she then went back inside the ice cream shop. Mal soon went to take out her phone, showing her phone background was of a younger version of herself with a dark-haired girl who resembled her. Both had their faces pressed together by the cheeks and smiling in blind and joyful happiness. Mal put her hand over her heart as she looked like she was trying very hard not to cry. She then got ready to play on it until Evie would come back until someone reached out from under the deck and swiped it.

"A-yoink!" A voice smirked and laughed.

"HEY!" Mal glared as she soon hopped off of the bench and looked down to see a familiar braided girl who she had met in detention. "UMA!"

"That's my name~" Uma smirked. "Don't wear it out~"

"Uma, give me my phone back!" Mal demanded as she crossed her arms. "Why do you gotta be such a jerk all the time?"

"Dunno... Blame my parents," Uma shrugged with a small smirk. "After all, _you're_ not exactly the nicest girl around to get in a fistfight with Audrey Thornley in front of the whole school."

"Do you _want_ something, Uma?" Mal rolled her eyes. "Where are your goons?" she then added, referring to Gil and Harry of course.

"Oh, they're helping cover my shift at the Fish & Chips place so Mom doesn't chew my ass if I show up a little late just to have some fun," Uma smirked as Mal soon came down below the deck to confront the boorish girl. "I thought I'd talk to you about something with Evie."

"What? You're gonna tell me she's a bed wetter or something?" Mal rolled her eyes. 

"No, no, nothing like that, though she does sleep with stuffed animals," Uma chuckled as she soon held out Mal's phone for her before quickly retracting it. "You should do something nice for her."

"And you're telling me this why?" Mal rolled her eyes. "We're already friends and we don't need people like you ruining it for us."

"I'm just saying, you should throw a big party at Evie's house, that would really make her feel special," Uma smirked. "If there's one thing Evie likes, it's a very loud and crazy party at home."

"At Evie's house...?" Mal asked softly. "But... Wouldn't her mom be mad or something? She is the Mayor after all."

"That's the thing," Uma smirked. "Evie has so many parties all the time and she always puts them away before her parents even realize or find out about them. So that's why there should be a party at the mayor's mansion with everyone from class. It'll cheer her up for sure and you can be best friends forever~"

"...What's in it for you?" Mal narrowed her eyes as she put her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me?"

"I grew up on the rough side of town where we had to fight for money, food, and WiFi, so I think I know what I'm getting into by allowing myself to trust someone like you," Mal explained firmly. "So I help throw a party at Evie's house. What would you get out of it?"

"It's a special surprise," Uma kept her smirk as she dangled Mal's phone over the splashing ocean behind her. "Just tell her that a special friend is looking out for her."

"And you and Evie were friends?" Mal snorted before her eyes widened. "HEY! Don't drop that!"

"Promise me you'll throw a party at Evie's then," Uma narrowed her eyes. "It'll be worth it in the end~" she then added with a malicious smirk.

Mal was very confused, but she felt frustrated as her phone could be fed to the sea any moment now. She then puffed out her cheeks in defeat. "Fine," she then said. "I'll organize a party at the mayor's mansion next weekend."

"Perfect," Uma grinned as she then stood straight up and chucked Mal's phone right back at her. "See? Was that so hard?"

Mal grunted as she nearly fell back, but luckily caught her phone in the nick of time. 

"Oh, and by the way?" Uma smirked. "Remember not to tell Evie, let's just keep this between us. I don't wanna spoil the surprise, especially when I come along with the boys."

"All right, Uma," Mal sighed sharply. "You've got yourself a deal."

"Great," Uma smirked as she took Mal's hand, squeezing it sharply as they firmly shook hands to further seal the deal. "See ya around then, Malissa Bertha~"

Mal narrowed her eyes with a bit of a growl. Uma then laughed as she let go of Mal's hand and walked off, looking victorious. Mal wasn't sure whether or not to trust Uma. Something in her brain told her to since Uma had known Evie longer than she had, but in her heart, she felt something aching and nagging at her about not trusting the braided girl. She wanted to ask about what to do, but her mother was the last person she could go to for anything and she pretty much raised herself aside from occasional help from her father. She wished that her older sister was there since her sister was her best friend and looked out for her back home. Deciding to ignore the feeling, Mal soon came back on the deck as Evie had two containers filled with ice cream and looked around in confusion.

"Hey... Where'd you go?" Evie asked.

"Uh, sorry, I was just... Uh... Watching the ocean..." Mal covered up.

"It is pretty relaxing," Evie nodded with a small smile. "Hey... Don't let your detention get to you. The weekend is here and we can hang out and do whatever we want now. Let's go meet Mom at home."

"All right, Evie." Mal said, smiling back a little.

Evie beamed as she then walked off with Mal to head back to the mansion. 

Uma watched from afar and smirked as she took out her own phone and sent a group text to Harry and Gil. "Surprise Party at Evie's mansion next weekend, BYOPF: Bring your own Party Favors".

 ** _"Aye-Aye, Captain!"_** Harry replied.

 ** _"If it's a surprise, how do YOU know about it?"_ **Gil replied as Uma could already hear the oafishness in his voice.

Uma groaned and face-palmed as she soon walked off to go and meet them at the usual hang-out place which was the family-friendly restaurant where she worked part-time in after school of Captain Hook and Ursula's Fish & Chips which was owned by both her mother and Harry's father. Obviously.

* * *

Evie brought Mal back into town and they soon came down a sidewalk, coming towards a gated house which was a rather large and grand mansion, but ridiculously huge, bigger than a shopping mall like you would see on TV or in a movie about a rich kid living in said mansion. There were hedge bushes that stood aligned on both sides between the open road leading up to the front door and there was an apple tree shown to be in the backyard. 

"So... Here we are... Home sweet home." Evie told Mal.

"Very interesting..." Mal commented as she took a look. "Nice digs, Evie."

Evie smiled warmly as they soon walked up to the front door together and she took out her key and unlocked the door with her free hand, carrying the take-out ice cream in her other hand. Once the lock clicked and the door creaked open, Evie pushed the door open a little more and led Mal to come in beside her. They heard a couple of voices echoing through the house. Mal recognized Regina's voice, but didn't recognize the man's voice who was talking to her. They both sounded unhappy. Very unhappy. Almost angry even.

* * *

Evie seemed to whimper a bit as she heard the yelling. Mal looked over as the yelling bothered her too, though it seemed to hurt Evie a lot more than it did Mal. Was this a normal thing she had to deal with at home? After all, Regina seemed friendly enough already when they met on the morning of Mal's first day of school. 

"The school counselor!" The man glared at the black-haired woman, sounding tougher and firmer in his arguing. "Why did you even answer the phone?!"

"What are _you_ even mad about?!" Regina glared back as she was faced with a scruffy-bearded man. "It's not Evie's fault that she wants to talk to the school counselor! Doesn't that bother you?"

"So you told him what's going on?" The man sneered. "We can just talk things out with her, she doesn't need to leave it out in the open for the school to get involved in!"

"I don't need to talk to this to some man who clearly never grew up beyond junior high school!" Regina retorted. "If you wanna be part of this family, you'll do your part and Evie's having a hard enough time already without you doing those horrible things that you do!"

"If you wanna talk about this like adults, I'll be glad to, but I have my own responsibilities too rather than drinking my problems away down at the local tavern!" The man glared before glancing over. "Oh! Ah... Evie..." he then greeted as softly as he could. "Didn't see you there."

"...Hi." Evie said softly.

"Oh... Is that a new friend of yours, Evie?" The man then asked.

"Yes," Regina answered then as Evie looked like she was trying really hard not to cry. "This is Malissa Ignus, she's new in Auradon Heights and is Evie's new friend. They're in the same grade and everything."

"Is that right?" The man then asked Mal.

"...Yeah, that pretty much sums it all up." Mal shrugged as Regina pretty much took care of the introduction for her.

"Well, it's good to meet you," The man replied. "You can call me Sheriff Graham."

"Sheriff Graham?" Mal repeated as he held out his hand for her to shake and she soon shook hands with him. 

"Yes, you don't have to worry about crime as long as I'm around," Graham smiled proudly. "Especially in the Mills' family mansion. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Uh, yeah," Mal nodded. "And Evie also offered to let me sleepover."

"Is that all right with your mother, Mal?" Regina asked.

"Yes." Evie answered suddenly.

Regina glanced at her daughter for answering like that.

"Uh, yeah, it's cool," Mal nodded. "I'll call her later to let her know that I'm here so you don't have to, Mayor Mills."

"Hmm... Very well then," Regina replied. "In that case, what would you like for dinner?"

"...You're asking me?" Mal blinked, feeling confused.

"You're our guest," Regina reassured. "Maybe you'd like to pick dinner for us tonight."

"Uh... Steak?" Mal shrugged.

"Steak it is then," Regina smiled. "Evie, why don't you and Mal get settled in your room and check on your brother while you're upstairs? I'll see to dinner."

"And... I'll help out... If I'm allowed." Graham decided.

"Thank you, Graham." Regina said, though she seemed to growl saying his name.

"You're welcome, Regina." Graham replied in almost the same tone.

Mal watched the two adults soon walk away and go into the kitchen together before glancing at Evie. "Your parents seem very interesting together." she then remarked.

"...Mm-hmm." Evie nodded after slight hesitance before taking Mal's hand and leading her up the staircase to the higher floor of the house.

Mal couldn't help but notice that Evie hesitated somehow and looked broken on the inside. She wanted to know what that was about, but decided not to be too forward on their first hang-out session outside of school. They came into Evie's bedroom which was almost like a princess's bedroom and the room was mostly all black and blue with a large bed with a couple of beanbag chairs by the window and there was a desk that was sitting underneath posters of "cute boys" from TV and in movies and a bookcase by the door with several books on display. Mal couldn't believe how big and grand the room seemed, especially compared to hers, but then again, this was a mansion after all. 

"Now, I have a spare mattress in the supply closet," Evie suggested. "Would you like that better than the floor?"

"Uh, yeah, I think that I would," Mal nodded. "I just can't believe how big this room is."

"I know, right?" Evie said with a small smile. "Definitely bigger than Henry's back when that room was mine before he was born. I got mad at him about that for a while though."

"Because he stole your room?" Mal guessed with an impish smirk.

"You bet," Evie smirked back as she went to visit the spare closet that was upstairs as well. "I love that little stinker, but he stole a lot of my cool stuff when Mom told me I was going to be a big sister."

Mal laughed a little as she soon sat down in one of the beanbag chairs while looking all around the room. It sure did seem impressive and fancy. She didn't want to leave it as it almost looked too good to be true. Eventually, Evie came back, holding the mattress high above before running into the room and laughed as she crashed on top of the mattress, nearly knocking Mal down on the floor with her. 

Mal yelped before she soon laughed too. "Evie, what the hell?!" she then asked.

"I'm just trying to make myself more interesting," Evie smirked as she continued to laugh. "Did it work?"

"Definitely more interesting than I am." Mal smirked back.

The two teenage girls kept on laughing before Evie took a pillow off of her curtained bed and whacked Mal in the face with it. Mal then laughed as she took another pillow and hit Evie back with it. They both laughed for a good time until there was knocking heard on the wall as came the young boy of the household.

"Oh... Henry... Hey." Evie greeted her little brother.

"Evie, I think it's nice that you have a new friend, but can you _please_ tone it down a bit?" Henry replied. "These fractions are kicking my butt! I swear, it's like Ms. Blanchard speaks a different language sometimes!"

"All right, sorry, Henry," Evie sighed and shook her head. "...Do you need some help with your homework?"

"A little..." Henry replied. "Mom's too busy to help right now."

"Yeah, she's cooking dinner downstairs," Mal said as she soon stood up and put her hands in her pockets. "We're gonna have steak."

"...Cool," Henry nodded. "So, uh, a little homework help, please?"

"I'll do my best," Evie said to Henry as she went to go into his room before looking back at Mal. "Do you mind?"

"I guess I don't," Mal simply shrugged. "Older sibs gotta help their younger sibs."

"Indeed." Evie nodded as she went with her little brother into his room. 

Mal watched them go and soon sharply sighed as she wondered what to do. She soon came downstairs and saw Regina wiping her eyes from tears that stained her dark chocolate brown eyes. She wasn't chopping onions, so she was clearly and possibly upset with what happened with the man known as Graham. She didn't let the argument prevent her from taking care of dinner though.

* * *

"Uh... Mayor Mills?" Mal called as she found her way into the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

"Oh! Hello there, Malissa," Regina said with a small smile as she tried to ignore her own tears. "Aren't you and Evie getting along nicely?"

"She's helping Henry with his homework." Mal shrugged.

"Oh... Good... I meant to do that as soon as we got back from visiting Dr. Whale for his check-up," Regina replied. "So glad to see Evie's being a responsible big sister."

"Are you okay?" Mal asked in concern. "You seem a little... Sad right now."

"Oh... I'm not sad... I'm just... Frustrated," Regina said as she heaved a sharp sigh while trying to keep the corners of her mouth strong enough to hold her toothy smile. 

Mal could tell that the woman was trying to hide her true feelings about something, but decided not to pry as it was none of her business.

"Maybe you'd like to help me make dinner until Evie and Henry are done upstairs?" Regina then suggested. "I'm sure you help out your mother all the time in the kitchen, right?"

"Eh... Sometimes, I guess," Mal shrugged as she soon went to wash her hands. "What can I do to help?"

"How about you chop these vegetables?" Regina suggested. "I'll take care of the meat and the sauce? I also think I'll pick some apples from my tree and make my famous turnovers."

"Right... Apple turnovers," Mal nodded, remembering that from when she and her mother first met the woman. "I bet they're, uh... Very good."

"I'm sure you'll find out eventually," Regina smiled warmly. "It's so nice to see Evie having a friend over. She used to be best friends with a girl named Coraline."

"Coraline Hart?" Mal guessed.

"Oh, you know her?" Regina then asked.

"I might've heard about her or run into her a couple of times in school." Mal shrugged as she soon chopped the carrots, being as careful as possible. 

"Oh, she and Evie used to be so competitive," Regina sharply sighed. "Coraline always tried to outdo Evie in many things... Who had the cutest smile, who had the better Sweet 6th Birthday Party, who wore it better... And I had to put up with Mary Elizabeth..."

Mal then looked curious of who that was.

"Coraline's mother," Regina then explained, sensing she probably already knew what Mal was thinking. "I'm not sure who's more spoiled and self-absorbed and claiming to be more successful: the mother or daughter."

"I'd say the poisoned apple doesn't fall too far from the tree." Mal smirked a bit.

Regina chuckled a bit. "Very true, my dear, very true," she then said before smirking back. "But you better not remind me of that joke at the next Parent-Teacher Night in school."

"Well, at least you have a better sense of humor than my mother." Mal shrugged bashfully.

"Speaking of your mother, do you know where she is right now?" Regina asked. 

"She... She's busy..." Mal replied. "That's why Evie wanted me to come over and spend the night. If I can be welcome here of course."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, Malissa, you will always be welcome here." Regina smiled sincerely.

A happy glimmer seemed to appear in one of Mal's emerald green eyes. Regina would have no idea how much that meant to the teenage girl. They luckily seemed to bond nicely as Regina soon told Mal where to put the vegetables and they soon washed their hands again and dried their hands together as Evie and Henry finally made it downstairs.

"Ah, good," Regina greeted her children. "Dinner is in the oven for about 45 minutes. Is your homework done?"

"Yes, Mom." Evie nodded. 

"Yours too then?" Regina then asked Henry.

"Yeah, Mom." Henry replied.

"A-A-And mine too." Mal piped up.

"Okay, good, you're all on track; I'm very proud and impressed," Regina approved. "I'm going to pick some apples for dessert in the backyard. Why don't you all hang out in the living room and I'll call you when dinner's ready?"

The three seemed to agree and soon walked off together into the living room. Regina had a small smile to that and she soon went in the backyard with a basket to pick some juicy red apples.

* * *

"Whoa... It's like a home theater in here..." Mal remarked with how big the living room couch was and it nearly completed in a full square with several pillows and some had bars to recline the seats back.

There was also a rather large television set with a video game console hooked up and cabinets filled with DVDs and there were a few remotes on the couch.

"Would you believe Mom got this couch half-off?" Evie remarked as she soon went to pick up the right remote to use, pointing it to the TV to flip it on.

"...There's another half?" Mal asked, sounding confused.

Henry chuckled a little, thinking that she was just joking. "Good one." he then said to her.

Mal looked even more confused, but just shrugged as it was probably not important, so she decided not to ask. 

"Hey, Henry, wanna show Mal your new video game?" Evie suggested as she soon collapsed right onto the couch right behind her, putting her feet up as she crossed her arms, holding the remote close in hand.

"Uh... All right." Henry nodded.

"I thought we were gonna watch Mickey's Creek?" Mal commented.

"Shh~" Evie shushed her friend with a small smirk. "That won't be on 'til later."

"Oh... Okay..." Mal then shrugged.

"All right," Henry soon said to his older sister's suggestion as he went to the cabinet and took out a case for a game, showing it to Mal. "This is Eragon. You have to fight using combat training and magic spells and you get your own dragon called Saphira. Eragon finds this blue stone that is actually a dragon egg where Saphira comes from and the king finds out about it and there's this wickedly bad dude named Durza..."

Mal did her best to listen to what Henry had to say, but she honestly found herself losing her train of thought. She had no idea who these characters were or what he was talking about. Henry then decided to put the game in and he began to play it.

"...You cool with him playing this?" Mal asked Evie.

"I just thought it'd keep him busy so that we could talk," Evie replied. "Once it's game time, he doesn't notice anything else unless Mom calls him for dinner."

"Yeah, right," Mal shrugged and rolled her eyes. "No one's that invested in a video game."

"Oh, yeah? Watch this," Evie smirked before she called out right behind her younger brother as he mindlessly played the video game. "FIRE! FIRE!"

Henry didn't even flinch or react to that as he kept mashing the buttons on his controller.

"Heh... That's kinda funny..." Mal chuckled. "Um... Henry, a wolf just chewed off my ankle!" she then called out.

Henry simply blinked as he focused on the game.

"Henry, I hate you and you're adopted." Evie teased with a small smirk as she would never mean or say that.

"Ooh! Brutal, Evie!" Mal winced before laughing a bit.

"Henry--" Evie then went to continue.

"I can hear you. I just choose not to listen to you to annoy you. I don't take being adopted or hated very well. That stings, Evelyn." Henry replied, sounding almost like a zombie as he played his game with his eyes metaphorically glued to the screen.

"Ooh, snap~" Mal smirked as she bit her lip. 

"Okay... I'm sorry..." Evie sighed before smiling as she hugged him suddenly and he paused his game to look back up at her. "You know that I'm always going to love you no matter what, right?"

"...Yeah," Henry replied softly before smirking. "And I grow fond of you, Evie."

"Oh! You little stinker!" Evie smirked back and she soon grabbed him and head locked him, making him drop his controller as he paused the game before she gave him a bit of a noogie. "Take this, Squirt!"

"Oh, no! No! Ah! AAAAUGH!" Henry yelped and squirmed before he shoved her back and laughed.

Evie soon laughed along with him. Mal watched them and looked a bit soft and emotional, though she admired the bonding between the two. 

"Can I go back and help Eragon now?" Henry soon asked.

"Go ahead, Henry," Evie smirked. "If you need any help, you can always ask me for help, even if I'm a rookie."

"Pfft! You're too good to be a rookie," Henry smirked back as he soon picked up his controller and went back to playing. "You're nuthin' but a sister."

"And you're the annoying pet monkey I wish I never got." Evie smirked back.

"You guys are nuts." Mal said from in between laughs.

"Correction: we're part of the Mills family." Henry stated proudly.

Mal rolled her eyes playfully, but smiled as she actually enjoyed looking after Henry with Evie. Henry soon put on his headphones and went back to the game.

"Okay, now he's really out of it," Evie said to Mal. "How was detention? I know, not the best way to spend after school, but at least you survived."

"Yeah, I guess," Mal shrugged. "I saw Ginny Gardener that you told me about and Tilly from homeroom."

"I swear, detention might as well be Tilly's home away from home," Evie rolled her eyes. "My mother is Madame Mayor and yet I'm more afraid of Mrs. Belfrey."

"Hey, I'm kinda scared of her too," Mal defended. "I think I know how to get rid of her though. It depends on where she lives... Like East or West?"

"Whatya mean?" Evie asked.

"Well, we could either dump a bucket of water on her head or crush her with a house," Mal explained with a joking smirk. "Ya know what I mean?"

"Ahhh..." Evie replied with a bit of laughter. "I don't think it's gonna be that easy, Mal. Who else was there? No one dangerous, I hope."

"Well, I saw that girl Uma and she had two boys with her--" Mal began to explain.

"Harry and Gil." Evie already knew.

"They her bodyguards or something?" Mal then asked.

"Something like that," Evie replied. "They're pretty dangerous. I hope they didn't talk you into pranking someone hard or something."

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Mal shook her head, she then remembered how she ran into Uma at the beach and wanted to mention it, but decided not to because of a planned surprise. "It's nothing, really."

"Hmm... Well, I'm glad she didn't hurt you," Evie said softly as she nodded. "Uma can be pretty dangerous sometimes. I don't know much about her mother, but she seems dangerous too." 

"I'm glad I'm not hurt either." Mal nodded.

Evie then smiled warmly as Mal smiled back. Henry also smiled, though he was mostly excited about collecting power-ups in his game as he was truly unaware of what the girls were talking about this time. Evie soon bit her lip as she heard her mother's voice muffled after the back door opened and closed. Mal couldn't help but notice that.

"Oh, so you're too busy to join your daughter's new friend for dinner tonight? That's just fan-freakin'-tastic!" Regina's voice could be heard struggling, sounding high in anger and disappointment. "No, no, I'm not upset... I just thought maybe you'd take time away from work and be with your damned family for once! ...FINE! STAY THERE! **SEE IF I CARE!** In fact, don't even bother coming home unless you have an apology ready!"

"E-Evie...?" Mal called to her friend who looked shaken from the sound of her mother yelling. "A-A-Are you gonna be okay?"

"...It'll be fine, Mal," Evie said in a shallow voice. "Mom's just having a bad day today."

"Sounds more than just a bad day," Mal nodded. "Do your Mom and Dad fight a lot?"

Evie suddenly faced Mal with very wide eyes. She nearly looked like a deer in headlights and even shivered and trembled like one. Something about that question bugged her.

"Evie...?" Mal asked, concerned and suddenly feeling guilty from asking that question, but what was so bad about it? 

"...Dinner should be ready soon," Evie changed the subject. "Hopefully anyway. So you helped my mom make dinner?"

"Uh, yes... Yes, I did," Mal nodded. "I'm probably not the best cook around, but hopefully it's still good."

"...I'm sure it will be," Evie said with a small smile, though she spoke in a shallow voice. "Mom's a pretty good cook. You'll love it."

"Yeah... Steak..." Mal smiled back. "I'm also interested in trying her turnovers."

* * *

Eventually, Regina called the kids into the dining room for dinner. It was mostly quiet as the only sounds they heard were crickets chirping outside the window the grandfather clock in the living room ticking endlessly. The dinner seemed to be very good for the most part and they could smell the sweet and warm aroma of the apple turnovers for dessert in the oven, but focused on the juicy, tender, and slightly crispy steak they currently ate. It was a bit of a quiet dinner overall. Mal noticed that Graham wasn't at the dinner table, but decided not to question it. She liked eating with Regina, Evie, and Henry though. It felt like a real family... Aside from Graham's absence that is.

"Oh, Mom, this steak is really great tonight," Evie said. "What did you do with it?"

"I added a bit of red wine to the sauce," Regina said with a small smile. "I just trust you and Henry not to drink from my bottle with it."

"Not until we're 21." Henry piped up.

"Exactly," Regina nodded. "Do you like it too, Henry?"

"I do," Henry replied. "A lot better than Salisbury steak in the cafeteria."

"I can vouch for that." Mal added as a light joke.

Regina had a small amused smile from that as they all tucked into their nice and wonderful dinner together. They shared some stories and jokes that just made the overall feeling very cozy and warm, especially for Mal. Almost like she never truly experienced that before. And before the girls knew it, it was time for Henry to go to bed and Regina told them that they could watch TV in the other room quietly before going to bed and reminded them to not be too loud and go to bed on time since she had to work in her office right now.

* * *

"Remember the rules, girls." Regina told the two teenage girls as she was about to help Henry get into bed tonight.

"We will, Mom," Evie promised. "Good night."

"Good night, Madame Mayor." Mal added.

"Good night, girls." Regina smiled as she soon went to her home office. 

And so, Mal and Evie were alone for the evening as they got comfortable in their pajamas and sat on the living room couch. Evie soon clicked through the TV channels before she soon made it to a dramatic and spooky-looking show that had teenagers together.

 ** _"Previously on Mickey's Creek..."_** A dark and dramatic voice narrated on the TV. 

There were colorful teenagers on screen. Mal sat quietly and patiently to see what the show was like and all about. Evie explained the show to Mal while the recap was on screen and it sounded very absurd and kind of stupid when heard about out loud: Mickey was the main character and hero who was the most popular boy in school, Minnie was a curious and scared girl who was hopelessly in love with Mickey, Goofy was a bit of a social outcast and not very intelligent and was Mickey's best friend, Daisy was the spoiled rich girl who almost usually got everything she always wanted, Donald was her short-tempered, bad boy boyfriend, and Penny was the clumsy, but very smart girl. Together, they solved mysteries in their own as well as go through teenage drama such as break-ups, popular cliques to join, and a lot more hardcore drama and darker themes than in a regular high school. It was considered to be a "dark and edgy" series that a lot of teenage girls ate up, though Mal didn't see much of the appeal. It looked pretty ridiculous and cheesy and to her shock, she found Evie laughing at some of the things that Mal found stupid about it. 

"Evie, you're laughing at this...?" Mal asked her new friend.

"Of course I am!" Evie smirked. "Isn't it awful?"

"You mean... You're making fun of this show?" Mal asked.

"That's why I like watching it," Evie replied. "It's perfect riffing material."

"Oh..." Mal blinked. "I thought you actually liked it like Audrey in school or whatever."

"I just like making fun of it," Evie smirked. "It's so cheesy, especially whenever Donald and Daisy look like they're gonna break-up for good, but they just make up by the time the episode ends. It's like watching a trainwreck: it's so horrible and gruesome, but you just have to laugh at it," she then explained. "You seemed like the kind of girl who would do that," she then frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mal. Did you actually like this?"

"No way!" Mal replied. "I was just worried I'd hurt your feelings if I said that this looked like the stupidest thing ever."

The two girls soon started laughing together as this seemed to turn out a lot better than they both had expected. They continued to watch the show as they talked about the disappearance of some character named Oswald who Evie told Mal was a missing character who was often mentioned at times, but never actually seen like it was a mystery that haunted the town. It was a very funny show, even though it wasn't meant to be a comedy: the over-acting, the cheesy drama themes, the forced tear-jerkers... It was very cheesy and lame, but Mal hoped to see more with Evie again someday.

* * *

Later on, the girls were in Evie's bedroom as the owner of the bed was reading a magazine while Mal was washing up in the bathroom and soon came into the room. "Ready to go to bed?" she then asked her friend.

"Yeah, I guess," Mal nodded. "So I guess we should go to bed now, huh?"

"Yeah, we might as well," Evie smiled. "Mom tends to overreact if she hears more giggling than sleeping though. Though I wanna ask you something before we go to sleep."

"Yeah?" Mal replied as she soon sat on the mattress beside Evie's bed and made herself comfortable. "What's that?"

"Truth or Dare?" Evie smirked.

"Huh?" Mal blinked.

"Come on," Evie insisted. "Truth... Or Dare?"

"Uh... Truth, I guess," Mal shrugged. "You don't know much about me anyway."

"I know, that's why I asked," Evie giggled. "Um... Do you have a crush on anyone in school yet?"

Mal's eyes widened as she turned red in the face. "...I changed my mind," she then said. "Dare me to eat an extra apple turnover or something."

"Sorry, Mally, but it doesn't work that way," Evie smirked as she soon came to the end of her bed, lying down on her stomach with her feet in the air. "C'mon... You can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone in school and not even Mom and Henry."

"Oh, fine," Mal sighed and pouted before she hugged her pillow. "Uh... Well... I'd like to get to know him better... Without Audrey knowing of course... But that seems to be a challenge."

Evie glanced at Mal, but she stayed silent to hear more of what her friend wanted to say.

"But... Ben seems interesting..." Mal then said.

"Ohh... Ben..." Evie then nodded. 

"Do you know him pretty well?" Mal asked.

"Just a little bit," Evie shrugged. "But you shouldn't look at him that way as long as Audrey has tabs on him. They used to date."

"Yeah, I heard," Mal nodded. "I just feel like I should talk to him. Everyone talks about him like he's a celebrity or some prince."

"Well, he _is_ class president," Evie remarked. "So, yeah, he's a pretty big deal in school. Also he's Audrey's ex-boyfriend so that means no one can go out with him or anything like that."

"But why not?" Mal asked. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"That's just the rules of high school," Evie shrugged. "I don't make them, I just report them. I also don't want you to get hurt. I've only known you for a little over a week, Mal, so I don't wanna see you get hurt. You're like a sister to me."

Mal flinched slightly, but felt very touched. "T-Thanks, Evie..." she said softly. "That means a lot to me."

"It means a lot to me too," Evie smiled. "I've always wanted a sister. That's why there's some baby pictures of Henry wearing a dress and playing Tea Party with me."

"Oh, there is not!" Mal smirked and shook her head.

"Yeah-huh, you haven't seen them!" Evie retorted as she smirked back. 

"Uh-huh... Right..." Mal rolled her eyes playfully. "So... How about you?"

"Hm?" Evie blinked as she sipped from her glass of water. "How about me what?"

"Do _you_ have a crush on anybody from school?" Mal smirked.

Evie's eyes widened as she coughed and nearly shot water out her nose as she smiled bashfully. "Uh... Maybe?" 

"Evie... When you say maybe... Do you mean yes?"

"...Maybe?"

Mal giggled a bit.

Evie soon took a sip of her water once her coughing fit stopped, though she took the time to drink all of the water while Mal crossed her arms and tapped her foot, almost impatiently. "Chad." she then said with a small smile.

"Chad?" Mal asked.

"Yeah~" Evie smirked before she took out her phone and fumbled with it a little bit before she held it out to show a picture of the "gorgeous and stunning" blonde boy. "Charles Princely AKA Chad."

"Him?!" Mal asked before laughing a bit. "He seems like a real douche!"

"He is not!" Evie gasped and pouted firmly. "We are soulmates!"

"Really?" Mal asked dryly as she raised an eyebrow. 

"Well, we will be someday... I'm gonna try to talk to him before the next game against The Neverland Pirates~" Evie giggled a bit as she bit her fist. "We have the same Science Class~"

"Sure, Evie, I'm sure he'll totally love you," Mal replied sarcastically before she laughed. "I'm sorry, but he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who's more in love with himself than anyone else."

"Well, luckily we already have something in common then." Evie smirked hopefully.

"And I'll be sure to meet your children: Chad Jr, Chad II, and Chad the Third." Mal rolled her eyes.

"Oh! Just for that, you're not invited to the wedding." Evie pouted.

"I think his guests that are all mirrors pointing in his direction will thank you." Mal teased.

"That's it!" Evie smirked as she slapped her pillow right in Mal's face. 

"Oof!" Mal grunted before glaring as Evie giggled. "Oh, so that's how you want it, huh?"

"Yeah," Evie smirked before she spoke in a singsong voice. "I... Want... It... That wa-a-a-ay~"

"You asked for it, Princess." Mal smirked back as she grabbed her own pillow and hit Evie right back.

"Hey! You can't hurt me!" Evie cried out while laughing. "I'm the mayor's daughter!"

"Ooh, you poor baby," Mal smirked. "I guess you're gonna have to arrest me now."

The two girls soon laughed, a bit loudly as they beat each other with their pillows back and forth for a while. However, it got louder and more intense than either one anticipated before they heard thumping from the floor. Evie and Mal soon covered each other's mouths once they heard the thumping.

"GIRLS! GO TO SLEEP!" Regina's voice called sharply. "HENRY IS TRYING TO SLEEP AND I HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO NOW!"

"Sorry, Mom!/Madam Mayor!" Evie and Mal called back nervously.

"GOOD NIGHT!" Regina's voice then said.

"Night!" The girls responded and nodded.

"Guess we should go to bed now." Evie bashfully smiled at her friend.

"Yeah, I guess we should... We had a big day today anyway..." Mal said before she then yawned a little and went to get comfortable on the mattress. "G'night, Evie... Thanks so much for letting me sleepover."

"Night, Mal," Evie nodded as she got comfortable in her bed and slid down her pink mask over her eyes. "Sweet dreams... And you're welcome."

So soon, the girls drifted off to sleep after such a full day together. Mal had a small smile as she fell asleep as she really loved spending time with Evie and her family, though she was a little sad on the inside because she knew that it couldn't last. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how do you guys like the longer chapters so far? Things are about to get dark and dramatic in this story, just remember to read with caution. I hope you're enjoying the story so far, other stories will be updated and uploaded very soon, I'm just taking a creative vacation from "Adventures" for a while. Please let me know what you think, your comments really mean a lot to me because it helps motivate me a little.

"So... How was school yesterday, Benjamin?" Belle asked her son as they decided to take care of breakfast together after a long night of sleeping. "I heard you went to visit Dr. Hopper."

"Yeah, I did," Ben nodded. "I had a lot on my mind. He made it a bit more clear though."

"Well, I'm glad that he was able to help you out," Belle smiled warmly as she faced her son while splashing in some water in the frying pan she had cooked eggs in. "I'm sorry your father and I have been so busy lately, but we need to be able to put food and money on the table. You know that we love you and your sister very much though, right?"

"Yeah, Mom, I know," Ben reassured. "I'm not a child anymore."

"I'm glad you understand that," Belle said with a small smile. "Maybe you and Clarice would like a visit from Aunt Lacey soon. Your father and I will need to go out of town in a little bit."

"Are you gonna be able to make it to our big final game up against Sherwood?" Ben asked hopefully. "There's gonna be a big banquet with a lot of food."

"We shall see," Belle said softly. "Until then, around next week, you'll have to listen to everything your Aunt Lacey tells you."

"Yes, Mom." Ben nodded.

"Good," Belle smiled. "Now how about you toast some bread and we can call down your little sister and father in a little bit?"

"Okay, Mom." Ben agreed as he soon went to one of the drawers and took out the loaf of bread and took out a couple of slices before putting them in the toaster instantly.

Belle beamed fondly. She began to remember the good old days when it was just her and Ben in the kitchen. It was a very fond and lovely time... It would be a rainy day so he couldn't play outside with his friends and it sometimes made him sad and she would usually read to wait out the storm. She then decided one day to make him fresh baked cookies with a glass of milk and they would be fresh from the oven and they would sit by the window while watching the storm and just talking and laughing, having a great time together. She sometimes did the same with Clarice and they usually shared chocolates together. It was always fun for her to spend some time with her children like this, especially with how demanding Adam's job could be sometimes.

"So, if you don't mind me asking..." Belle began as she soon put the bacon on the stove and let it sit for a minute as she sat down with her son as they both sipped some hot chocolate. "What did you and Dr. Hopper talk about?"

"Oh... Uh... Just some personal stuff, Mom..." Ben replied as he blushed. "You know... Guy stuff."

"Guy stuff you can't share with your mother?" Belle asked with a small smirk.

"Mom..." Ben pouted as he flushed into a crimson color in his face.

"I'm just kidding," Belle giggled. "I understand completely. Your Aunt Lacey and I had some things we couldn't tell your grandfather when we were younger and lost our mother at a young age. That's why your Great-Aunt Marguerite moved in to help take care of us... Though she told me to stop reading so many books and go out there and meet somebody, even though your Aunt Lacey was a bit of a rebel and often snuck out on most school nights."

"Yes, Mom, I remember," Ben nodded. "Aunt Lacey is a good lesson in always listening to you and Dad, though she changed a bit after she met Uncle Cedric."

"Yes, a little bit," Belle replied before mumbling. "Even though she was a gold digger around him at first and was waiting for him to die so she could take over his pawnshop for him."

"Hm?" Ben blinked.

"Oh, nothing." Belle smiled innocently.

Ben looked at his mother funny, but then shrugged it off as he continued to sip down his hot chocolate.

"Is it perfect?" Belle smiled.

"It's a lot better when we're getting ready for Christmas, but yeah, it's very good," Ben smiled back. "I guess this is just what I needed after a tough week at school with a lot on my mind."

"I can understand that," Belle soothed as she lightly patted him on the back. "Do you have any homework?"

"Just a little bit," Ben replied. "I'll get it done though before the big game."

"That's a good boy," Belle smiled. "You're always such a good boy."

"I try my best, Mom." Ben nodded.

* * *

It was a very good feeling between Belle and Ben so far. Eventually, Clarice woke up and the family ate their breakfast together. It was a good morning indeed for the French family. Ben thought more about what Dr. Hopper said and he decided to maybe try to look for a special girl to maybe get to know better when he would come back to school on Monday. He decided to maybe talk with Mal since she was new in school and they didn't know each other very well and it might be good for him to practice his social skills on someone who barely knew him and his numerous accomplishments. He was a bit nervous to meeting her and getting to know her, but he would do his best to put on a brave face. After all, what was the worst that could happen? Eventually, Ben's phone went off...

"Y'ello?" Ben greeted on the phone as he got out of his chair and walked off to his room to take the call in private while his mother and sister stayed behind in the kitchen.

"Hey, whatcha doin'?" Chad asked with a smirk.

"Just finished breakfast," Ben replied. "I think Mom's about to go to the library."

"Oh... You gonna go with her?" Chad asked.

"I don't have to," Ben shrugged. "Why? What's going on?"

"Why don't you come with me and the guys?" Chad suggested. "We'll cheer ya up since you've been so down in the dumps lately."

"Chad, I dunno..." Ben paused briefly.

"What's going on?" Belle asked as she noticed her son was on the phone with one of his friends.

"It's Chad, he wants to take me out for a day with him and the guys." Ben told his mother.

"Oh, how fun!" Belle smiled. "Why don't you go out with them? That might cheer you up a little."

"Uh... I would, Mom, but... You're going to the library... And who's gonna watch Clarice?" Ben asked nervously.

"I can take her with me, your sister is usually very well-behaved whenever I go to the library with her," Belle reassured. "Go have some fun with your friends. We can always talk again at dinnertime."

"Uh... Um... Erm..." Ben stammered.

"It'll be okay, Ben," Belle reassured. "But if you feel that bad during the time with your friends, you can always call me and I'll come pick you up."

"...Thanks, Mom," Ben said softly before he picked up the phone. "Chad? When are you and the guys coming?"

Belle smiled warmly as she soon walked away to let Ben talk on the phone with his friend as she then went to see Clarice to get her ready to visit the library.

* * *

At the Mills' mansion, breakfast was served by Regina as Mal, Evie, and Henry ate up. Evie told her mother that she and Mal were going to go to the Mall today to hang out so that the latter could meet some other new girl friends to hang out with even if Mal wasn't sure if she wanted to meet any other girls. Regina thought that that would be fine as long as Henry came with them since she had a lot of work and duties to do today as the mayor. Any other older sister would roll her eyes at being forced to take her little brother along for a trip to go out with friends, but Evie didn't seem to mind. After breakfast, Mal and Evie went upstairs to get ready for the day.

"Don't you think you should ask if I wanna come along with you on adventures before you just whisk me away to them?" Mal smirked at her new friend. "Maybe I have plans."

"I'm sorry, Mal; do you have plans?" Evie asked.

"...Well, no, but you still could've asked," Mal shrugged. "Mom's not answering her phone anyway."

"So do you wanna stay home alone all day or come out to the Mall with me?" Evie smirked.

Mal gave Evie a look before sighing sharply. "All right," she soon said before smirking. "I'll come to the Mall with you."

"Yay!" Evie beamed as she hugged Mal suddenly. "See? Was that so hard?"

"Don't push your luck, Princess Mayor." Mal teased.

"Whatever you say, Your Royal Crankiness." Evie teased back.

And so, Regina drove the kids over to the Mall which was of course very big and grand. Once she rode over to the entrance, Henry came out and held Evie's hand as she got out beside Mal.

"All right, Henry, remember to stay close to Evie and Mal," Regina reminded her younger son. "I don't want you getting lost and this is a very big place."

"I know, Mom," Henry replied. "And Evie wouldn't let me get lost."

"I sure wouldn't." Evie added with a small smile.

"All right, but I'm your mother, so it's my job to worry about you," Regina smiled back. "Keep your phone close by, I'll come pick you up a little later. Have fun!"

"We will." Mal and Evie replied.

Regina nodded as she soon rolled her window back up and drove out away from the Mall. Mal and Evie waved as they soon walked off and Evie held Henry's hand as they came inside the mall. It looked like a typical shopping mall with tiled floors, a water fountain in the center, and of course, various shoppers going to visit certain parts and places whether using the elevator or escalator to visit the smaller stores inside.

"I don't think I've ever actually been in a Mall before," Mal said to Evie. "We could never afford it."

"Well, if you put in some of your money with mine, we can buy you something nice so to remember this day forever," Evie smiled. "All right, Henry, do you wanna shop with me and Mal for a little bit?"

"...I guess," Henry shrugged and rolled his eyes. "As long as I don't have to try on any of the clothes you find."

"Darn, looks like I have to go with Plan B." Evie smirked playfully.

* * *

They soon walked off together and looked all around the various places. There were a lot of choices: The Three Bears' Day Spa, Lady Tremaine's Curl Up and Dye Salon, Emperor Weaver's Clothing Outlet, Ursula & Captain Hook's Fish and Chips, Slop Shop, The Candlestick Café, Mad for Tea Café, Dr. Facilier's VooDoo Arcade, and a whole lot more.

"So, there's that famous fish and chips place." Mal remarked.

"Yeah... I wouldn't recommend the food though," Evie warned. "Uma does NOT know how to cook or give sincere service with a smile."

"I think I can believe that." Mal smirked, though she did remember something about Uma that involved Evie, but didn't say anything about it just yet as that was for next weekend anyway.

"Where do you think you wanna go?" Evie asked Mal. "You're our guest."

"Um... Uh... I dunno," Mal shrugged. "I guess we could do a little bit of clothes shopping for a little while."

"All right, Henry, let's do a little bit of clothes shopping," Evie smiled. "This will only take a minute."

"Translation: This is going to take all day." Henry rolled his eyes.

And so, the three went off to the place called Emperor Weaver's. Henry sat in the waiting area, taking out his Gameboy to play another game called Pete's Dragon, glad that he brought it with him. Evie smiled at Mal, finding various black and purple clothes and went to make her new friend try them on. Mal appreciated the colors and admired every outfit that Evie bought for her. Evie smiled as she took pictures of every outfit on her phone and even took a hold of Mal for some, posing with her as she made a cute pout on her face while Mal did the same and they took another picture with the latest and cutest outfit that Mal liked the most.

"This is probably my favorite of all the outfits I tried on today." Mal said to Evie as she looked down. She was now wearing a black leather jacket with a dark violet dress inside with a lighter violet ribbon around her waist and had on matching black boots.

"That'll be a good dress for Prom maybe." Evie hinted.

"Heh... Yeah, right," Mal rolled her eyes. "I doubt I'll be going to Prom."

"You never know," Evie smirked before she put her arm around her new friend. "Let's go show Henry."

"I doubt he's gonna care, but okay." Mal smirked back as they walked off then.

Henry was shown to be curled up in his chair and was snoring a bit.

"Hey... Henry... Wake up..." Evie called to her little brother and lightly shook him. "Henry~..."

"Ugh..." Henry groaned before he yawned and stretched. "Is it morning already?"

Evie giggled a bit. "Come on, we weren't gone that long." she then said to him.

"It's been forever!" Henry replied. "Are we done here yet?"

"Not yet," Evie smiled. "What do you think of Mal's new outfit?"

Mal shrugged and soon stepped out and did a little spin for Henry as she crossed her arms at him.

"Hmm..." Henry paused thoughtfully. "That outfit suits you," he then said with a nod. "The colors really work for you."

"I always liked purple," Mal smirked. "Thanks, Henry."

"No problem." Henry nodded, though he looked like he was trying really hard not to say "Can we please get the heck out of here now before my head explodes?".

"Well, Evie, do you think we're done here?" Mal asked her new friend. "Maybe we could do something that Henry likes right now?"

"Yeah, that's fair," Evie nodded. "Okay, Henry, let me and Mal just pay for this dress and jacket and we'll go do whatever you want right now."

"Yes!" Henry cheered to himself.

Mal and Evie soon went to see the owner, Mrs. Weaver, who smiled fondly and waved at them. The two then went to pay for their clothes while Henry pocketed his Gameboy and soon followed them to the front counter. The process took a little while, luckily a lot shorter than clothes shopping and experimenting as they soon left the store with brand new bags at hand.

* * *

Not surprisingly, Henry brought Mal and Evie into Facilier's video game arcade where a lot of kids of all ages were. There were spooky sounds and wicked laughter, sounding a bit like a haunted house of horrors of some sorts.

There was then laughter that got louder and closer before a tall, skinny man jumped out from the crowd and yelled out at them. "BOO!"

Henry let out a yelp while Evie held onto him protectively.

"My dad does that to me all the time," Mal deadpanned. "You're gonna have to try a little bit better than that."

"Oh... You're no fun," The man rolled his eyes, dressed like a witch doctor before he smirked and leaned in. "Welcome to Dr. Facilier's VooDoo Arcade Emporium. You can play some games for a price and win prizes... Or you can have your fortune told by my daughter Celia."

A young girl around Henry's age smirked as she was shown behind a booth with a crystal ball as she fanned her face with a deck of tarot cards.

"Or you can also go roller-skating and jam with your jams at the rink," The man then suggested, pointing his cane over to a girl around Mal and Evie's age who was behind a turn-table with headphones and records. "With my other daughter, Frédérique. So, what will it be?"

"We'll be playing some games." Evie replied.

"Very well," Dr. Facilier nodded. "Excellent choice."

"Can we get our tokens now?" Henry asked eagerly.

"How long do you think you'll be playing for?" Dr. Facilier smirked.

"Mm... Probably an hour or two." Evie shrugged.

"I'll charge you for two hours then," Dr. Facilier chuckled. "Luckily we're having a special. Two hours for $2."

"Wow... That's not bad." Evie commented.

"What's the catch?" Mal asked suspiciously.

"I beg your pardon?" Dr. Facilier soon asked.

"Mal..." Evie frowned softly, but a bit firm.

"Come on," Mal smirked. "That little money just to play for a while? Are you trying to haggle us?"

"I-I'm so sorry, she's new." Evie said to Dr. Facilier.

"Oh, that's quite all right," Dr. Facilier replied before he came towards Mal. "Listen, this isn't a hustle or a swindle. I just have a soft spot for customers under the age of 12 and if I remember correctly, a very young Henry Mills came here for his birthday and earned a free pizza pie with his very own choice of toppings and style of crust."

"That's right!" Henry smiled.

"Tell you what," Dr. Facilier said to Mal with a smirk. "Since you're new in town, you can have a free pass to whatever your heart desires. Especially since you're such good friends with Princess Evie and Prince Henry and you can tell Queen Regina all about it."

"Queen Regina?" Mal deadpanned.

"Well, yes," Dr. Facilier chuckled. "Madame Mayor is Auradon's ruler after all and most of us are her loyal subjects and since you're here with 'The Royal Family', you can have the same discount."

"Hmm... All right," Mal crossed her arms and shrugged. "I'm still watching you, Facilier... If that even is your real name."

"Between you and me, it's Mr. Baron Samdi, but I highly ask of you to not refer to me as such especially around the kiddies or else I'll turn you into a frog." Dr. Facilier whispered jokingly about that last part.

"...Noted." Mal shrugged.

"Evie, can we go now?" Henry asked. "I'm trying so hard to be patient, but it's really hard."

"All right, Henry, let's go then," Evie giggled with a small smile. "Thank you, Dr. Facilier. We'll take our free passes and tokens and hit the games." she then said as she winked at the man.

"Very well, Princess Evie... Anything for you, Prince Henry and Lady... Mal, was it?" Dr. Facilier chuckled as he then stood right back up and adjusted his top hat.

"Mal is just fine, thank you." Mal replied.

"Charming little creature..." Facilier said before he held out his bare hands to Henry and soon clapped his hands together and as he flicked out his left hand, three free passes to the arcade were shown in his fingertips.

"WOW!" Henry beamed as he took one for him. "Epic... Do you think you could teach me how to do that?"

"Sorry, Prince Henry, but magicians never reveal their secrets." Dr. Facilier remarked.

"Penn and Teller do." Henry argued with a small pout.

"Oh, those clowns aren't real magicians," Facilier rolled his amethyst eyes as he gave the other two passes to Mal and Evie. "Here you are, ladies. Have fun and let it be a magical afternoon for both of you."

"Thanks." Mal and Evie replied, accepting their passes.

Facilier grinned as he waved at them and soon took off to greet the next people coming into the arcade the same way he greeted the two teenage girls and young boy.

"So, we just play games and hang out?" Mal asked.

"Pretty much," Evie smiled. "Just scan your card against the game you wanna play and then you'll get tokens. If you get enough tokens, you can trade them for tickets and after you get some tickets, you can get a prize before we leave."

"Hm... I guess that does sound pretty cool." Mal shrugged as they walked further along inside.

"All right, Henry, let's have some fun." Evie told her little brother as they came to explore the arcade up close.

"Yeah!" Henry beamed in excitement.

And so, the three began to have as much fun as they could in the arcade. Mal wasn't really sure what to do though, sure there were games, fortune-telling, and rollerskating, but she watched Evie and Henry going off and bonding together. That made her stomach feel a little sick and hurt on the inside. She slowly closed her eyes as she let her mind wander a bit as she watched Evie and Henry bond together before she opened her eyes and began to think about something.

* * *

_Mal found herself at around Henry's age and was in a rundown food store. She had a big purple bow in her hair and had a black dress with light purple leggings and black Mary Jane shoes. She was shown to be wandering around the aisles and soon found a Wonka Bar and took it off of the shelf and went to hide it in her pocket only for her hand to be grabbed._

_"Whoa, whoa, whoa," A store clerk glared as he grabbed her by her wrist. "What do you think you've got there, little lady?"_

_"Oh... Um... Uh..." Mal stammered nervously._

_"Hey!" A voice called out._

_Mal and the store clerk looked over to see a girl around the age of a teenager with long brown hair tied into a low ponytail, wearing a black leather jacket that had hints of purple, pink, and green with fingerless gloves. She had rolled over a shopping cart as Mal stepped back slightly._

_"I've been looking all over you," The teenage girl spoke to Mal. "Thanks for hanging onto that 'til I got us a cart."_

_Mal soon had a small smile and nodded at the teenage girl, looking up at her._

_"You two girls are on your own?" The store clerk asked suspiciously since the older girl still looked a bit on the young side._

_"Our parents are waiting for us in the car," The teenage girl explained. "They sent us to grab a few things."_

_"Okay." The store clerk then nodded and walked away._

_"Mal, Mal, Mal, what have I always told ya?" The teenage girl tutted and shook her head._

_"Stuffing things under your shirt never works." Mal recited from memory._

_"That's right," The teenage girl smirked. "You're off the hook for right now, but when will you learn that your big sister who's had a lot more experience in these sorts of things is always right?"_

_"Sorry, Lily," Mal replied bashfully. "I'll try better someday."_

_"Yes, you will," The teenage girl nodded and reassured. "You just need a little bit more practice."_

_The two soon went to do a little shopping together. Lily brought out a card and soon held it out to the cashier up front as she stood with Mal. They both laughed, having a good time before they left the store with the cart._

_"Lily, do you think you could make me a fake ID too?" Mal asked her big sister as they left the store as she nibbled on her Wonka bar._

_"Sure... As long as you remember to listen to me and don't tell Mom and Dad," Lily smirked as she rolled the cart away. "Speaking of those two, we've got the whole week to ourselves. Whatya say we skip school and just hang out together?"_

_"Is that allowed?" Mal asked. "Won't Mom and Daddy find out?"_

_"We don't have to tell them," Lily smirked as she winked at her younger sister. "If you do, I'll haveta go away forever and you wouldn't want that... Would ya?"_

_"No! Lily, I never want you to go away!" Mal gasped before she hugged the older girl by her waist. "I want you to stay with us forever and ever~"_

_"Then I will, just remember to keep this between us." Lily smiled warmly._

_"Okay, Lily," Mal smiled back in the hug. "I love you~"_

_"I love you too, kiddo." Lily nodded as she lightly stroked her younger sister's hair._

"Mal... Mal? MAL!" An unfamiliar voice soon called out and it sounded like an underwater echo.

* * *

Mal's eyes flashed open as she looked over from where she sat and waited only to see Evie and Henry. "Oh... Hey, guys..." she then said. "Are we leaving right now?"

"We just thought maybe you'd like to get your fortune told," Evie smiled. "You don't seem too interested in the video games."

"I guess video games aren't my thing." Mal shrugged.

"C'mon... Everybody loves video games," Henry defended. "But yeah... Why don't we get your fortune told?"

"Hmm... Like that'll even work..." Mal rolled her eyes skeptically. "...Whatever. Let's try it out and see what happens."

"All right, let's do it." Evie smiled as they soon walked off together.

"I see... I see... I see something..." The young girl named Celia spoke as ominously as possible as she waved her hands over her crystal ball as Jay sat in front of her. "I see... The letter A in your future."

"Yeah?" Jay beamed as he leaned forward. "You think I'll pass Ms. Greening's next test?"

"Oh, you'll pass a test for her alright," Celia smirked. "If you study your butt off instead of relying on fortune telling for good grades. And unfortunately, our time is up. You may go now and send in the next patron."

"Dang it... My dad's gonna kill me..." Jay groaned and rolled his eyes as he got up out of the stool and walked off before seeing Mal, Evie, and Henry in line next. "Don't waste your time. She just talks in riddles and makes you feel guilty for even asking her a question."

"Boys." Mal and Evie rolled their eyes.

Jay rolled his eyes back at them and he soon walked off, ruffling up Henry's hair. "'Sup, Shortstuff?" he then asked on the way out.

"Hey!" Henry firmly pouted.

"So, Mal, what do you think you'll wanna ask Celia?" Evie asked before smirking. "Maybe seeing if you're compatible with someone?~"

Mal's eyes widened as she blushed.

"What does... Comp... Att... Bull... Mean?" Henry asked, struggling to say that word.

"Nothing!" Mal yelped.

"It's when two things work together without drama or conflict," Evie explained before smirking. "Mal and I had a little talk last night."

"Evie, please, nothing like that," Mal rolled her emerald eyes. "Besides, magic isn't real. It's not like this Cee Cee girl can see the future or something."

"Excuse me, I said next, please!" The young voice called out.

"Especially someone who's like 10-years-old." Mal then added.

"Suit yourself," Evie shrugged. "I'd give it a chance anyway. Henry, do you wanna go first?" she then asked her little brother.

"Mm... I guess," Henry replied as he also shrugged his shoulders and soon went to go inside. "Hey, Celia."

"Oh, hey, Henry!" Celia smiled. "Lemme guess; you're here with your sister?"

"That's cheating," Henry smirked. "Evie takes me everywhere whenever Mom's busy."

Mal and Evie stood together and waited for Henry to take his turn as the curtain closed behind Henry.

"Hey, Evie." The older Samdi girl greeted as she walked by.

"Hey." Evie nodded.

"You must be Frédérique." Mal said to the girl.

"It's Freddie," The girl corrected with a small smirk as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "And yes, I am. Just taking a quick deejay break."

"I think I've seen you around school a bit." Mal then nodded.

"Yeah, I go to WEA too," Freddie explained. "I'm just mostly in Drama Club with Mr. Wiggins."

"An actress, huh?" Mal asked.

"Freddie's super spooky in a villain role in a play," Evie smirked. "You should see her someday."

"Why not just ask your little sister to predict the future if I come to a play or not?" Mal playfully retorted.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha," Freddie mock laughed. "You seem interesting, Mallory."

"It's _Mal_." Mal narrowed her eyes suddenly.

"Whoa... Easy, girl," Freddie chuckled. "I was just having some fun. Speaking of fun, if my daddy or Celia ask where I am, I'm gonna get some Fish & Chips."

"All right, Freddie," Evie nodded. "We're just gonna get our fortunes told and pick up some lunch after. Maybe we'll see you there."

"Already on my way~" Freddie smirked as she soon slithered right out of the arcade.

"I like her style." Mal commented.

"Freddie can be pretty cool most of the time," Evie nodded. "As long as we go shopping and she doesn't try to pickpocket people like a delinquent. I told her a thousand times to never do that, but she hardly ever listens."

"Sounds like a lot of people I grew up with back in 'The Projects'." Mal remarked.

Henry soon came back out bashfully.

"Hey, Henry," Evie smiled. "How's the future?"

"Celia told me that I was gonna get a very big kiss from a girl who really likes me really soon." Henry explained.

"Oooohhhh~" Mal and Evie smirked playfully as they shared a glance with each other.

"It's not funny!" Henry blushed a bit.

"Well... Until that girl finds you... Take this~" Evie cooed as she hunched over to his height and soon wrapped her arms around his shoulders before pulling him into a deep kiss on the cheek.

"Augh! Evie!" Henry cried out, blushing slightly.

"I don't know about a girl in your grade, but I'm definitely a girl who likes you very much." Evie smiled and nodded shamelessly.

Henry just blushed in slight embarrassment before smiling wearily.

"Next, please." Celia requested.

"Last chance." Evie smiled hopefully at Mal.

"Eh... What have I go to lose?" Mal shrugged as she decided to go in and take her turn.

"That's the spirit!" Evie beamed.

Mal rolled her eyes with a shrug and soon went to sit down across from Celia.

* * *

"Ah, welcome, my child." Celia greeted.

"Child?" Mal scoffed. "I'm older than _you_!"

"Hey, do you wanna hear your fortune or are you going to make snappy comebacks at me all day?" Celia retorted. "I have an older sister for that."

Mal looked soft and soon settled down a little bit. She then sat down in the assigned seat as Celia waved her hands over the crystal ball. "All right, so what do you got for me?" she then asked.

"First, we must look into the present," Celia replied as her crystal ball had swirling purple smoke with glitter inside of it. "You've come from a great distance... You're new in town, yes?"

"Yeah, that's me," Mal nodded. "Kinda obvious since you clearly haven't seen me before?"

"That might be so," Celia nodded. "But you're in good hands with being friends with Evie. She's a very good friend, huh?"

"Yeah... Evie's pretty sweet," Mal smiled a little bit. "She kinda feels like a sister to me."

"I'm sure she feels the same way with you," Celia smiled back. "Especially since there's a hole in your heart."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "...What's that supposed to mean?" she then asked.

"There's something missing... Something deep down missing inside of you, Mal..." Celia said as she waved her fingertips over her crystal ball.

Mal crossed her arms as she leaned back.

"After all, I'd feel lost and hopeless if I lost Freddie for whatever reason," Celia continued. "She's my whole life and she's been looking out for me during that time, especially whenever Daddy's busy."

"Next timeline..." Mal rolled her eyes. "What does my future look like?"

"Patience, my dear Mal, patience," Celia advised as she continued to take a look. "I definitely see a gaping hole in your heart and soul... Something that hurt you deeply in the past, but something bright and hopeful awaits you in the future. Perhaps someone who can help make your life easier... Perhaps... Your own Prince Charming."

"Prince... Charming?" Mal repeated with a cynical smirk as she shut her eyes. "I'm sure, Cecily-"

"Celia." The young girl corrected.

"Whatever," Mal rolled her emerald eyes. "I think you're full of it."

"Full of what?" Celia firmly frowned.

"I think you know what I mean," Mal smirked as she crossed her arms. "Nice try, but I'm not listening."

"You don't have to be a jerk about it," Celia told Mal, trying not to get too upset. "I can tell that you're just lashing out like this because of the pain and suffering you feel in your heart and soul. You should let more people in so they can help you... There was once someone you used to trust and look up to."

Mal flinched slightly as her eyes brightened up just a little bit.

"Am I right that time, Mal?" Celia then asked.

"...I think I need to go now." Mal said softly and quietly.

"I think that I'm right," Celia replied before she showed her deck of tarot cards. "The cards never lie... You should talk more with Evie about your feelings and maybe you'll win this Prince Charming. They can help make your life a whole lot easier."

"Y-Yeah, I guess..." Mal shrugged as she rubbed her arm before she soon stood up. "I'm gonna go now."

"All right, but remember what I said," Celia reminded. "You can't hide what's inside."

Mal glanced back at Celia and soon left.

* * *

"So... How did it go?" Evie smiled. "Did you have fun?"

"It was... Educational..." Mal replied before giving out a wry smile and shrugged her shoulders, trying to act like it was no big deal. "B-But hey... No biggie... It's all just a fairy tale, right?"

"Hmm..." Evie paused thoughtfully as she had a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Evie, you can't tell me you believe in all of this hocus pocus," Mal said to her friend. "Can we get some lunch now? I'm starving."

"Me too." Henry nodded in agreement.

"In a minute~" Evie smirked. "I still haven't had my turn."

"Oh... Yeah... Great..." Mal rolled her eyes. "I'll watch Henry for you."

"Thanks, Mal." Evie smiled and nodded before going to take her turn.

"No problem," Mal shrugged before looking down at the younger boy. "You play plenty of games today, kiddo?"

"Yeah, Crown of Duty and Hero Rising," Henry nodded. "I beat the old high score on Hero Rising with Aaron Stone."

"I have no idea what that means, but good job." Mal said with a small smile, trying to be social.

"Yeah, I'm pretty proud of myself," Henry smirked. "I'm saving up my tickets though for a special gift for Evie. I think she deserves it."

"Oh? What would that be?" Mal asked as they waited.

"I can't tell ya," Henry replied before he darted his eyes around. "You might blow my cover."

"Ooh... Are we a spy now?" Mal teased.

"Heck yeah!" Henry smirked as he nodded at her. "I tend to go on field operations from time-to-time and look around the neighborhood whenever it's just me and Evie. Like Mr. Jafar and his junk shop... I guarantee you that at least 55% of his inventory is stolen from other people. He's a bit of a crooked guy."

"Is that right?" Mal raised an eyebrow.

"Mm-hmm," Henry nodded. "I also heard a rumor that Mrs. de Vil has slumber parties with every man on her block."

"Slumber parties?" Mal asked, a bit amused as she had a pretty good idea of what Henry was actually saying. "I think good little boys should mind their own business."

"Hey, whatever makes my life more interesting," Henry shrugged. "I like to think that I'm destined for greatness. The opportunity just hasn't come around yet. Especially for Evie, I really want her to be happy."

"You and your sister sound close," Mal said with a small smile. "You must like that very much."

"I really do," Henry said with a small sigh. "She does so much for me... Making sure I get to class on time, helps me with my homework, protects me whenever I feel sad or scared. She's the best big sister ever and I'd do anything to make sure she sticks around in my life for a very long time."

Mal's eyes widened before she looked glum and soft suddenly as she put her hand over her heart.

"You okay, Mal?" Henry asked as he noticed that.

"Huh? Oh... Y-Yeah... I'm fine," Mal nodded. "I guess I was just thinking a little bit."

"About what?" Henry asked. "High school drama or teenage girl stuff you can't talk about around me?"

"...Yes." Mal simply nodded.

Henry looked at her funny for that before shrugging as he decided to just go along with that. Eventually Evie grinned as she stepped out and looked very excited. She even let out a squeal as she looked like she could burst at any minute.

"Uh... Hey, Evie..." Mal blinked. "You look excited. Did the Chicago Bears finally win a World Series?"

"Very funny, Mal," Evie rolled her eyes playfully before beaming. "But something even more exciting just happened~"

"What did Celia see in her crystal ball?" Henry asked his big sister.

"She saw that I was going to have a study date with Chad Princely sometime soon!~" Evie squealed and jumped up and down before clapping her hands. "I told you that he was my soulmate, Mal!"

"Eugh... Great..." Mal grinned nervously, putting on a brave face for Evie's sake. "I hope that you guys have fun."

Henry wasn't sure what to do or say, but he tried to put on a brave face for Evie's sake. It was almost as though he and Mal could agree on something: Chad Princely seemed like a real scumball.

"So, shall we get some lunch then?" Evie suggested.

"Yeah, let's go," Mal nodded. "I feel like I could eat my new outfit right out of the bag right now."

Evie chuckled. "Let's go then," she then suggested. "Henry, do you have enough tickets for a prize?"

"Not enough," Henry sighed and shook his head. "I need 3,700 tickets to get what I really need, but I only have 1,900."

"Aww... Bummer..." Mal frowned a bit.

Evie paused thoughtfully and soon smiled as she held out her tickets to Henry.

"Huh?" Henry blinked. "Evie, I can just wait until we come back next time."

"If you wanna get your special prize, you can have it right now," Evie decided firmly. "You've been such a good little brother helper during this whole trip, so you deserve a treat. So no, Henry, you are not waiting until next time, you are getting that prize now."

"Wow... Thanks, Evie!" Henry beamed then. "You're the best big sister ever."

Mal flinched a little bit as she thought about all the times she had said that to Lily. Henry and Evie shared a hug with each other as they went to meet Facilier at the front for the ticket exchange. Evie looked very excited about a possible future date with Chad while Mal was thinking about what Celia said as it hit her harder than she had expected or anticipated. Eventually, Henry came back with a goody bag as he met Mal and Evie outside the entrance as Facilier waved him off.

"So... What'd you get?" Evie smiled at Henry. "A new comic book? An action figure?"

"I got you girls some gifts actually since I had a little leftover from your help, Evie." Henry replied.

"Oh, you didn't have to get us anything, Henry." Mal said softly.

"Just to show that you guys are the best," Henry said as he opened the bag and took out a golden necklace that had a dragon on it. "Mal, I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I got you this dragon necklace."

"Oh... Wow... Thanks..." Mal blinked in shock and gratitude as she took it and soon put it in her own shopping bag. "Thanks so much, kiddo."

"No problem." Henry smiled.

"Aww... Henry, you're such a sweet kid," Evie smiled warmly before smirking playfully. "Well, don't leave me in suspense... What did you get me?"

"Just don't lose it or break it," Henry said as he reached into his bag and brought out a silver tiara with red hearts all over it. "I hereby dub thee: Princess Evie of Auradon Heights."

"O-Oh... Oh, Henry..." Evie whispered and squealed as she put her hands together, looking tearful and emotional. "Henry... I don't know what to say."

"Well, how about thank you?" Henry suggested with a small smile.

"Of course... Thank you very much!" Evie beamed as she soon accepted the tiara and slid it onto her head before she soon hugged and kissed Henry yet again. "Big Sister Kiss #2 for the day~"

Henry chuckled and beamed.

"Such a sweet kid..." Mal whispered to herself as she had a small smile for the siblings' bonding.

"I will treasure it always," Evie beamed. "All right, who's hungry?" she then asked.

Mal and Henry raised their hands up high.

"Let's go to lunch then." Evie chuckled to them as Ben, Chad, and Aziz Massoud were walking by, several feet ahead of them as they soon went to get some lunch.

* * *

"Cheer up, Benny," Chad grinned as he wrapped his arm around the brunette boy. "We'll find you someone interesting to fall in love with. Besides, who wouldn't wanna fall in love with you? You're the King of the School."

"Well, yeah, but I want someone to love me for who I am and not because of me being popular." Ben shrugged.

"Oh, but that's the fun part!" Chad insisted. "You get to talk about how awesome and amazing you are. Who wouldn't want that?"

"Chad, that's pretty shallow," Aziz rolled his eyes. "Before my parents met and married each other, my mother insisted that she was not a prize to be won even though she was rich and had many fortunes."

"We're all living in the lap of luxury," Chad smirked. "You better get used to it, Ben."

"I dunno, Chad, just being popular and loved by all with 'thousands of friends' just makes me feel empty on the inside," Ben shrugged with a sharp sigh. "I want someone to like me for me. You guys are my friends for the person I am on the inside, right?"

Chad seemed to hesitate in answering that question.

"Of course, Ben," Aziz smiled. "And cheer up. We'll help make it all better, I promise."

"Thanks, Aziz," Ben smiled back. "I knew that I could count on you."

"Now come on," Aziz soon said with a nod. "Let's go explore."

"Right," Chad soon quickly added. "You'll see, Ben. This is gonna be a fun and great day at the Mall for all of us."

"I sure hope so, guys," Ben sighed before smiling softly. "I sure hope so."

And so, the three boys went off together and began to explore every outlet possible.


	9. Chapter 9

"All right, Ben, what sort of girl are you looking for?" Aziz asked as they walked around together.

"I dunno," Ben shrugged with his hands in his pockets. "I guess anyone would be better than Audrey."

"Speak for yourself," Chad smirked. "Audrey is very beautiful, amazing, dramatic, gorgeous, smart, funny, and absolutely wonderful."

Ben and Aziz gave deadpan looks over to the blonde boy.

"Well, at least he's right about dramatic." Ben smirked, still remembering his rough break-up with Audrey.

"Oh, for sure," Aziz smirked back as he crossed his arms. "And trying to make you seem like the bad guy when she broke up with you."

"If that's the case, would you mind if I went out with Audrey?" Chad asked.

"Sure, Chad," Ben rolled his hazel eyes. "Be my guest."

"All right, let's focus on other girls right now," Aziz suggested. "Hmm... How about Lonnie?"

"Lonnie?" Ben blinked. "...She's nice and pretty cool and all, but I think we're just friends. Besides, I think that Jay likes her."

"Yeah, dude wasn't subtle during football try-outs when she tackled him and showed that she was a girl all along," Chad chuckled in memory. "She's not bad. You know, for a girl."

"Right..." Aziz scoffed at Chad's sexist remark, though wasn't fully mad as he was sure that the blonde boy didn't believe he was being a true sexist.

"Hmm... Who else? Who else?" Ben pondered.

"Uh, how about the new girl?" Chad suggested.

"Uh... The new girl in town?" Ben flinched nervously. "Wouldn't that be a little creepy?"

"Why would it be creepy?" Chad shrugged with a small smirk. "You were talking about her a lot in Gym Class last week."

"...I was?" Ben blushed.

"Just a little bit," Aziz chuckled as he put his arm around Ben. "Let's get you a milkshake, huh?"

Ben nodded as they soon went over to the Mad For Tea Café. It was a nice, quiet place to hang out in... Most of the time. It was usually a hang-out spot for after school studies and just to relax and forget about school and it was also owned by Tilly's parents: Alice and Cyrus Hightopp. The three boys soon sat down in the lounge couch, away from other people who happened to visit the spot as they placed their orders before sitting and waiting.

"So, the new girl?" Chad suggested.

"I dunno..." Ben shrugged. "Maybe someone else?"

"All right, Ben, if it really bothers you, we'll move on then," Aziz replied. "Let's see... Who else is there? Jane?"

"I don't think Jane's my type," Ben replied awkwardly. "She's a sweet girl and all, but I don't think it would work out."

"The Mayor's daughter?" Chad suggested.

"Her mother would probably cut my head off." Ben said as he grabbed his neck in fear and dread.

"I'm running out of ideas, man." Aziz shrugged.

"How about Jordan Pedrad?" Chad then suggested. "She's pretty funny."

"Hey! Hands off of Jordan." Aziz said protectively.

"Oh, are you interested in her?" Chad smirked as Aziz soon began to blush from that question.

"W-What?! No!" Aziz gasped and blushed before firmly pouting. "You know she's like a sister to me. We grew up together since my dad and her dad are best friends."

"Sure, Aziz, whatever you say." Chad smirked.

"You boys want some muffins?" A female voice asked as a basket was held out to the three boys with several different kinds of muffins.

"We didn't order any muffins?" Chad replied.

"Complimentary~" The girl smiled innocently as she stood there. She had platinum, almost white hair tied in a ponytail with midnight blue eyes and wore a baby pink lingering sleeved blouse with a dark purple belt with a matching baby pink skirt with darker pink slip-on shoes.

"Scarlet?!" The three boys gasped.

Yes, Scarlet. The girl smirked a bit as she had quite a reputation around the school, especially being a Teacher's Pet and not the good kind as she almost always told the teachers what was going on between the students as well as being close to Audrey. "Don't you boys want some muffins?" she then asked them, looking innocent, but they could see mischief clear in her eyes.

"You probably poisoned them, you witch." Aziz rolled his eyes.

"Relax, I just wanna know what's going on," Scarlet replied innocently. "You can trust me."

"Last time we trusted you, you got us detention for a month for something we didn't even do." Ben snarked.

"Yeah, and mind your own business!" Chad added before he decided to take a blueberry muffin and bit into it, muffling as he still talked to her even though he glared nastily. "Who cares if we're trying to help Ben move on from Audrey by finding someone new and exciting in his life so he can be happy?"

"CHAD!" Aziz and Ben complained.

"Oops." Chad then gulped in the background.

"Oh... So that's what's going on," Scarlet remarked. "I might not even tell Audrey actually."

"Yeah? And why not?" Aziz asked firmly.

"Oh, please," Scarlet sighed and rolled her eyes. "Ever since she decided Coraline and Ivy were her best friends while I got sick last year after Christmas Break, I've been pushed aside."

"Even though you still tell on everyone just for sick thrills?" Ben deadpanned.

"Well, how would you feel if you felt like you could trust Audrey for the rest of your life and then she'd turn around and suddenly stab you in the back?" Scarlet retorted.

Ben raised an eyebrow sharply. "Seriously?" he then asked sardonically.

"You're basically describing the big break-up between them." Aziz added, unimpressed.

"Oh, shut up! You know what I mean!" Scarlet firmly pouted before smirking. "Enjoying the muffin, Chad?"

Chad moaned and groaned happily as he continued to eat up the muffin. "Oh, yeah~" he then chuckled. "Especially since it's free~"

Ben and Aziz rolled their eyes and shook their heads about Chad's behavior.

"I think you should buzz off, Scarlet," Aziz advised. "You're not needed here."

"Oh... Very well," Scarlet nodded as she soon walked off. "I better get back to work then."

"You work here now?" Ben asked. "Why ever for? You always get whatever you want."

"Oh, I'm just coming here to find myself, plus Tilly's parents are pretty cool if you stay on their good side," Scarlet replied innocently. "Their good friend Percy White also owns this bar called The Rabbit Hole."

"Yeah, I know about that place," Ben nodded. "My Aunt Lacey used to hang out around there until she met her husband."

"Maybe if you guys play your cards right, I can maybe get us free drinks there," Scarlet smirked. "That is, if you trust me."

The three boys just stared at her blankly with narrowed eyes in annoyance. Scarlet soon flinched from their collective gaze and soon nodded before she decided to leave the basket on the table in front of them and soon walked off.

"Man!" Aziz scoffed. "She'll do anything for attention."

"Tell me about it," Ben rolled his eyes before smirking playfully. "Hey, maybe I should date her since she's Audrey's Clone."

"Yeah! It sounds like you've got Stockholm Syndrome!" Aziz added before they both laughed.

Chad soon laughed with them before looking totally confused. "...What's Stockholm Syndrome?" he then asked them.

"...We'll tell ya later." Aziz replied.

Chad shrugged and soon began to finish up his muffin before going to get another one.

"Don't worry, Ben," Aziz smiled as he put his arm around his friend as their drink orders soon came by from Tilly's mother. "We'll find you a new princess soon enough."

Ben smiled back before he saw that their drinks were coming.

"Here you go, boys," Alice smiled warmly as she served them up. "That's three Caffè Latte Milkshakes."

"Thanks, Mrs. Hightopp." The three boys said, accepting their drinks.

"You're very welcome... Now, will there be anything else?" Alice then asked.

"No, ma'am," Ben replied. "Thank you though."

"All right," Alice smiled as she walked off. "Just call me if you need me. Don't be bandersnatches~"

"I think Tilly's mom is on something half of the time," Chad remarked before smirking. "Hey, Ben. Why don't you go on a date with Tilly?"

Ben snorted as he nearly did a spit-take from his milkshake and cupped his mouth before it could spill out his nose. "Tilly?!" he then asked. "Are you serious?! That girl's probably gonna end up getting kicked out of our school just for turning Mrs. Belfrey's hair gray!"

"She'll probably make Ben end up on an episode of COPS or something." Aziz added as he took a sip from his drink.

"You never know," Chad shrugged. "Stranger things have happened."

Ben and Aziz rolled their eyes as they sipped from their milkshakes.

"What? What'd I say?" Chad shrugged at them before he began to sip his own milkshake.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mal, Evie, and Henry were sitting in the musky and slightly revolting place that was owned by Uma's mother and Harry's father. The workers were mostly dressed like pirates and some were even growling and speaking like such. Out of all of them though, Harry seemed to be really into the whole pirate motif and it didn't help with his thick Scottish accent and how he bragged about his father being the greatest and best pirate who roamed The Seven Seas: Captain Hook... But in reality, he was a man by the name of Killian Jones who opened up this place to keep busy and had to get a high-functioning job due to welcoming the newest member in his family after he had met and married a woman by the name of Emma Swan.

The three just waited as patiently as they could as a lot of the kids there, who were much younger than Henry, were running around and playing with plastic swords, throwing each other overboard and walking off the plank into a ball pit, and given chocolate coins as treasure. Mal thanked her lucky stars that she didn't have to work in a dump like this because if she did, it would be just too soon.

"Yo-ho-ho, mates!" Harry chuckled as he wore a dark, almost blood-like red coat and a large hat with an even larger feather in it, wearing a metal hook and had very dark circles around his eyes. "Be ye interested in our daily special: Tidal Surprise?"

"I'm afraid to ask." Mal mumbled out.

"Erm... Hey, Harry," Evie greeted their classmate/fellow student. "We will have-"

" _Captain_ Harry!" Harry insisted. "Me old man is Captain Hook after all and ye shall treat him and myself with respect... Provided ye don't wish to walk the plank~"

"Walk the plank?" Mal rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Oh, brother!"

"Ye speak a big game, Purple Wench, but ye wouldn't be laughin' fer long," Harry warned as he stroked her face with his hook, luckily not with the sharp end, otherwise he'd probably cut her. "The Hook family has a very dark-hearted and ominous legacy, even after Father Hook traveled into the horizon to find happiness waiting and soon found a pretty and fair mermaid named Emma and cursed me to be the only boy with three sisters~"

"How sad for you." Mal rolled her eyes again.

"'Tis true..." Harry nodded. "Now... How about that Tidal Surprise, eh?"

"We'll take some chicken planks and fries actually, Captain Harry," Evie said to him. "That okay with you, Mal?"

Henry beamed as he looked excited about the chicken planks.

"Sounds like the only thing appetizing on this whole menu," Mal wrinkled her nose as she saw the various options that included chum, sea spiders, fluke filets, gruel, pickled lamprey, and a whole lot worse. "The rest of this sounds like something you'd give the inhabitants in SeaWorld."

"Excellent choice, Blue Lass," Harry grinned and nodded at Evie. "And maybe after ye eat... Ye'd like to join me in my Captain's Quarters?~"

"Oh! Uh... Um..." Evie gulped and grinned nervously.

"HARRY!" Uma hissed as she was busing one table. "Quit flirting with the customers and get back to work so my mom doesn't kill us!"

"Argh! Uma! It's in my character description!" Harry complained as he soon left their table. "Besides... It works for my father~"

"Your father could make a woman putty in his hands just by talking about how he hates ticking clocks and crocodiles," Uma smirked before shoving a bunch of dirty dishes in his hands. "Here, make yourself useful since I don't know where CJ is right now."

"Fine, fine." Harry rolled his eyes as he soon walked off with the dishes.

"Man... I'm not sure what's worse," Mal smirked. "Harry in school or here trying to be a pirate ladies man."

"Just remember not to get on Uma's bad side." Evie warned.

"I won't." Mal reassured.

"Are we going home after this?" Henry asked Evie.

"Hmm... I don't know, Henry," Evie shrugged before checking her phone. "We might have time for one more activity after lunch before we have to meet Mom."

"Okay, cool," Henry smiled before looking at Mal. "So, Mal, what's your mom doing?"

"You tell me, kid," Mal shrugged as she sipped her water before grimacing at the taste. "Ugh... That tastes worse than dish water."

"I think dish water would be an improvement." Evie smirked.

"What does that mean?" Henry asked Mal. "Isn't your mom worried about you?"

"I tend to look out for myself, kid," Mal replied. "I've been doing that ever since I was around your age when my parents were having problems."

"...What _kind_ of problems?" Henry asked.

Mal looked at him a bit coldly. "You know, Henry, it's really none of your business," she then said stiffly. "So I think you should butt out."

Henry flinched a little and frowned deeply.

"Mal..." Evie scolded a bit before she put her arm around her little brother and whispered to him. "She didn't mean it. Let's just talk about something else, Henry."

"O-Oh, okay..." Henry said softly before he nodded.

"...I'm sorry, that was a little rude," Mal then said. "Sorry, Henry. It's just something I can't really talk about right now. At least, not with you. No offense of course."

"...It's okay," Henry said. "I'll try to butt out of things that aren't even my business."

"Aw, come on, don't be like that," Mal sighed and shook her head. "Evie, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Mal," Evie said before she looked at Mal's hands and suddenly grabbed them to look at her new friend's fingernails. "Hmm~..."

"Whoa! Hey!" Mal yelped as that caught her off-guard. "Evie?!"

"You could use a bit of color," Evie said as she examined Mal's fingernails. "This color here is fading. You. Me. Manicure appointment right after lunch. Pronto."

"That was a paradox sentence," Henry chuckled before Mal looked at him funny, so he explained. "She said right after lunch which would be later and pronto means right now. So that sentence is a paradox."

"I knew that!" Mal said to him with wide eyes. "I didn't know you knew that!"

"Hey, I go to school too, ya know," Henry replied. "Ms. Blanchard doesn't just let us color all day and recite our ABCs."

"Hm... No, I guess she wouldn't." Mal snorted with a small smirk.

"So, what do you think, Mal?" Evie suggested. "We'll get some color on our nails and then we'll probably be able to meet Mom on time."

"...Well, okay," Mal shrugged before nodding. "That is, if Henry doesn't mind waiting."

"Goldie's got a TV in her salon," Henry nodded. "It'll be a lot easier for me to wait until I get my own phone."

Mal and Evie both smirked at that. Uma secretly watched the two as she soon went in the backroom while Henry tried to sip down his water and hold it down, though the smell and taste made him queasy.

"I guess this place is good if you like pirates." Mal said as she took a look around the area.

"Oh, yeah," Evie smirked. "And then if you come on the weekends, every hour, Mr. Jones sings a song about how he skinned the crocodile that took his hand and how revenge, revenge, revenge is going to be his~" she then added as she memorized, nearly singing her next words.

"You spent some weekends here with Henry, haven't you, Evie?" Mal smirked back as she could tell based on how she was singing that.

"His sixth birthday party," Evie nodded. "That song is just so darn catchy."

"It really is," Henry rolled his eyes. "It'll be in your head, even after you've heard it years ago."

Mal chuckled softly.

* * *

Eventually, their chicken planks were delivered and a blonde woman walked by, dressed as a pirate, soon came to meet three new customers who appeared to be... Chad, Ben, and Aziz.

"Who's that?" Mal asked as she saw the pirate woman.

"Oh, that's Emma," Evie replied. "Mother of Harry and the Jones' sisters... Or as the kids know her as around here 'Red Jessica'."

"Red Jessica?" Mal raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's a stage name," Henry said like it was obvious. "Ya know... Like Captain Hook or Harry Hook, though their last name is actually Jones."

"Thank you, Henry..." Mal nearly deadpanned.

"...You're welcome, Mal." Henry replied with a small shrug before he soon took the first chicken plank and began to munch on it.

"Come on, let's eat up so we can get our nails done and then meet my mom later." Evie told Mal.

"All right." Mal nodded as she soon took her own chicken plank, dunking it in the offered barbecue sauce.

And so, those three began to eat up their lunch as "Red Jessica" was showing the boys over to an open table and gave them their menus before starting them off with three glasses of water to go with their milkshakes that they got from the café.

* * *

"I think you're too picky when it comes to meeting new girls, Ben," Chad smirked at his friend. "It can't be that hard to pick someone from the crowd."

"I think I might as well go ahead and try the new girl," Ben suggested. "I can deny to her that all bad rumors about me being true."

"The new girl? Hmm... All right, if you think that's a good idea," Aziz shrugged. "I heard she got detention though for starting a fight with Audrey though."

"...So that's what that was all about," Ben remarked, though he wasn't afraid or worried about it. "It's worth a try anyway."

"Good luck, old friend," Chad said as he put his hand on Ben's shoulder. "It was really nice knowing you. I'll make sure that it's a lovely service. I bet that goth girl Claudine Frollo will conduct a wonderful eulogy."

"What are you talking about?" Ben glanced at Chad oddly.

"Your funeral of course!" Chad replied. "I hear that this Malissa Ignus girl comes from a bad side of town and that she got kicked out of her old school and that they _had_ to move here. I'm just looking out for my best friend."

"Chad..." Ben and Aziz groaned and glared at him.

"Just hear me out, okay?" Chad replied innocently. "Would you like an open or closed casket for your funeral?"

"Not funny." Aziz scoffed.

"I doubt that I'm going to die just for talking to the new girl," Ben rolled his hazel eyes. "Besides, Jane talked to her and showed her around before I ran into her in the hallway during her tour. Jane's fine, isn't she?"

"...For all you know, that could be her ghost," Chad defended. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Ben just groaned in annoyance as he sipped down his milkshake as they got comfortable before wincing as he looked down and found himself sitting in some ABC gum which made him grimace.

* * *

"At least the chicken smells and looks and _tastes_ good." Mal said as she ate with Evie and Henry.

"Yeah, it's probably the only thing worth eating on the menu." Evie remarked.

Uma glowered in the background as she thought she overheard that before she drifted away mysteriously.

"Get enough, Henry?" Evie asked her little brother.

"Yeah, I should save my appetite for dinner later," Henry nodded. "Mom will probably make another special dinner."

"I'll probably head back home by then," Mal replied as she played with her phone. "There's still some homework I haven't done yet."

"And yet you let me help you with Chemistry~" Evie smirked.

"You're pretty smart for a pretty face," Mal smirked back. "And I thought you'd be sleeping your way to the top as Teacher's Pet or something."

"Shh!" Evie blushed and hissed since Henry was right there as she grinned nervously. "Mal~..."

"What?" Mal smirked as she shrugged innocently. "He doesn't know what I'm saying."

Henry seemed to prove Mal's point as he just sat there with a blank look on his face. "...What're we talking about?" he then asked. "You guys have slumber parties with your teachers? Because one time, I had a sleepover field trip to Sherwood Forest for a camp-out. I felt a little scared, but then I brought my fairy tale book with me and it helped me sleep."

"You were so brave that night, Henry, and I'm very proud of you," Evie smiled warmly as she put her hands over his shoulders. "Ooh... I have to powder my nose," she then said suddenly. "Henry, do you need to go?"

Henry looked up at her and nodded.

"We'll be right back," Evie said before looking at Mal. "Unless you have to go too?"

"I'm good," Mal replied with a shrug. "I guess I'll pay the bill then since you two are ditching me?"

"Heh, very funny, but I've got a card," Evie chuckled as she brought out a card and handed the bill over to Uma as she came by. "It's good being the mayor's daughter, but I have to win and earn her trust of course. I can't just get away with everything, otherwise I'd have my own fashion magazine right about now."

"Good to know." Mal simply nodded in response.

"Come on, Henry." Evie smiled as she took her little brother's hand and soon led him away to the bathroom.

Mal soon played around with her phone before she saw texts from her mother coming in, asking her where she was. The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes slightly and soon texted back that she was hanging out with friends and that she would be back home very soon.

"So... You're still hanging out with the Mayor's Prince and Princess?" Uma smirked as she soon helped herself to sitting across from Mal, sneaking some of the uneaten fries off of the plates.

"Yeah," Mal rolled her eyes. "What's it to you?"

"Charming," Uma kept her smirk from the deadpan attitude. "I think you and I could've been best friends if you hung around me first instead of 'Princess Evie'. So, are you making party plans for next weekend?"

"Oh, it's gonna happen," Mal reassured as she nodded. "I just have to round up the right people first. You're sure Evie would be cool with this? What about her little brother?" she then asked.

"Don't turn your back on me, Ignus," Uma said with a cackle and clapped her hands together. "Besides, don't worry about little Prince Henry. We'll take such good care of him for Evie that she won't even know he's in trouble~"

"Somehow I don't like the sound of that..." Mal muttered before shrugging. "I'll work something out though."

"You had better," Uma smirked. "Unless you don't think you're cool enough."

"No way!" Mal defended as she crossed her arms. "I'm very cool. You should've seen me at my old school. I was kicking butt, chewing bubblegum, and taking names."

"Ooh, very impressive," Uma smirked again. "Let's see how big and loud you are when it's party time. I hope that nearly everyone from school shows up."

"Oh, they will," Mal narrowed her eyes. "It'll be the party of the century while you just sing Happy Birthday to a bunch of little tykes for a party in this old dump. Where'd you get your clothes, your mom's closet?"

"OOH! BURN!" A dark blonde-haired boy called out as he sat at the bar table across from Harry, holding a jar of pickled eggs.

"Stuff it, Gil," Uma narrowed her eyes without looking at him. "Ain't nobody talkin' to you!"

Harry chuckled as Gil gulped and sunk in the stool he sat in.

"We'll see who's the baddest of them all soon, Mally~" Uma smirked. "In case ya haven't noticed, I call the shots around here."

Suddenly, a dark-skinned blonde woman, wearing a green outfit to make herself look like some sort of sea serpent/monster stormed in as she glowered towards Uma.

"Look out, wee lads and lassies! It's Ursula the Sea Witch!" Harry called out as he soon came to a group of small kids who looked scared of the woman.

The kids soon screamed and ran away, hiding behind a giant treasure chest prop.

"That's always fun~" Harry smirked at himself. "Heh... Hello, Mrs. McClain."

The woman nodded at him with a small smile before glaring towards Uma.

"I think your big sister's here..." Mal guessed.

Uma looked confused before glancing over in annoyance and rolled her eyes once she saw who was there.

"UMA! Shut your clam and wash those dishes and get back to work!" Ursula glowered.

"MAMA!" Uma complained. "I'm trying to make a deal!"

"Don't you 'mama' me, young lady!" Ursula glared. "Get back to work or you can forget about getting an advance in your allowance!"

"...Fine!" Uma growled before looking at Mal as she nodded sharply as she poked her finger into the other girl's chest. "Just remember what we agreed on... Otherwise it might get messy for you."

"Yeah, yeah, Uma, whatever." Mal rolled her eyes.

Uma nodded sharply and soon stormed off with the dirty dishes and went to take them to get washed.

"Was my daughter bothering you, little girl?" Ursula asked Mal.

"No, ma'am," Mal shook her head. "It's fine. Really."

"All right," Ursula smiled and nodded. "Hope you had a good meal."

"Uh... Yeah..." Mal smiled back, bashfully and wearily though.

Ursula then walked off and soon began to scare the kids who saw her, making them scream and run away.

"Well, I guess at least she seems nice when she's not being a Sea Witch." Mal shrugged at herself as she finished up her drink.

"Were you talking to Uma?" Henry asked as he suddenly came up beside the girl.

"SHIT!" Mal yelped out and grabbed her chest before she closed her eyes and sighed softly before looking at Henry. "Jeez, kid, you scared me!"

"Sorry," Henry replied. "But were you talking to Uma McClain? Evie says she's the toughest and meanest girl in the upper hallway in school."

"Yes... I was..." Mal panted before she cleared her throat to speak clearly and calmly. "We're just planning a special surprise for Evie."

"I don't trust her, Mal," Henry frowned. "You shouldn't trust her either. She might hurt you and Evie."

"Well, we'll be fine, okay?" Mal said to him. "This is a grown-up thing anyway. You're too young to understand."

"Look, I might be a kid, but I notice and see a lot of things," Henry defended. "You had detention with Uma, so you should be able to notice she isn't the kind of girl to trust or befriend!"

"Look, Henry, it'll be fine," Mal said as she put her hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "I really wanna be friends with your sister and maybe even you too. You're pretty cool for a half-pint and I mean that in the best and nicest way possible. Don't you want your sister to be happy?"

"...Well, yeah, but-" Henry frowned.

"But nothing," Mal interjected. "Just let me trust Uma and do this and I promise that you and Evie will have the best time ever next weekend. You can trust me."

Henry kept his frown as he had a very bad feeling about this. He didn't say any more though as he felt unsure that he would be able to convince Mal otherwise. He soon decided to sit down and just finish up his drink.

"Okay, I'm back," Evie said as she came back with a small smile as she showed that she had her compact mirror with a tube of apple red lipstick. "Sorry I'm a little late. I had a make-up emergency. You guys doing okay?" she then asked them.

"Fine." Henry and Mal replied.

Evie glanced at them before shrugging. "All right then," she then said. "C'mon, Mal. Let's go see Goldie."

"Uh, yeah," Mal nodded. "Let's go see this... Goldie."

* * *

And so, the three began to leave together. Uma kept a close eye on Mal and Evie and smirked as she looked very excited. Harry and Gil soon slithered up from right and left between Uma as they both grinned with eager and fiendish anticipation.

"Hi, Evie!" A cheerful young adult blonde woman smiled as she appeared suddenly. "Who's your friend?"

"Hi, Goldie," Evie smiled back. "This is Mal. She's new in town and she's my very good friend as of a couple of weeks ago."

"Hi," Mal blinked at the young blonde woman. "Goldie, is it?"

"Yep... That's me," The blonde woman nodded. "Welcome to Auradon Heights and more importantly; welcome to my Day Spa."

"Erm, thanks," Mal replied. "We're gonna get our nails done."

Henry soon walked quickly inside the salon and went to go over to a corner to sit and watch TV that was on. He rolled his eyes a little about what was on and soon decided to watch some cartoons instead.

"Henry's here to watch TV." Evie added jokingly.

"Oh, I know how your brother can be sometimes," Goldie giggled in understanding. "Manicures or pedicures?"

"Manicures," Mal firmly decided. "I don't like people touching my feet."

"Yeah, manicures are probably a good idea," Evie nodded. "Can you get us both, Goldie?"

"Well, I'll definitely try," Goldie smiled as she soon led them over to take a seat. "I'll even get someone to help out."

"Yeah?" Mal and Evie asked curiously.

"Yo, Ruby! You wanna help me take my new clients for the day?" Goldie soon called out.

"Sure, Goldie, I'll be right there." A dark brown-haired girl with red highlights in her hair smirked as she was coming by with a tiny toolbox filled with nail care tools.

"Ruby?" Mal asked Evie. "Do you know her?"

"Yeah, that's Mrs. Lucas's granddaughter," Evie nodded. "She's supposed to graduate this year. She's kinda like a big sister to us underclassmen. She's pretty cool for a senior."

"What do you mean 'for a senior'?" Ruby scoffed and smirked before she sat down, deciding to take care of Mal's nails as Goldie sat down across from Evie. "I was born cool, fool."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Evie smirked back. "I'm just glad you found a job to keep this time before your granny would kick you out or make you work in the cafeteria right after the summer break of your graduation."

"Pfft!" Ruby blew a raspberry and rolled her dark forest green eyes. "At least I have a real job, Miss Fashion Pants."

"Miss Fashion Pants?" Evie smirked. "You're off your game today, Rubes."

"Leave me alone, Princess," Ruby smirked back before she looked over. "So, you must be the new girl, Mal."

"Yeah, that's me," Mal nodded. "I guess I already have a reputation around school."

"Mostly, especially since you got in a fight with Audrey," Ruby remarked as she began to do her job on Mal's nails while Goldie started on Evie. "I never really did like that girl. Her sisters always gave me trouble in school before they graduated."

"Sisters?" Mal asked.

"Mm-hmm," Ruby nodded. "Ariana and Dawn. Trust me, you do not wanna know. Sisters can be a pain in the butt."

"I always wanted a sister of my own," Evie said with a small pout. "But then Mom got mad whenever I kept dressing Henry up like a doll after he was brought back home for the first time."

"Wait... What?" Henry asked as he overheard that.

"Go back to your cartoons," Evie smirked playfully. "The grown-ups are talking."

Henry shook his head and rolled his eyes before he then went back to watching his program.

"I do love Henry a lot though anyway," Evie said softly. "Believe it or not, I actually kinda hated him for a while."

"You _hated_ him?" Mal blinked, a bit surprised to hear Evie having any negative feelings whatsoever since she was so sweet and friendly, at least around her, Jay, and Carlos.

"Well, I guess 'hate' is a bit of a strong word." Evie shrugged.

"How about 'mildly dislike'?" Goldie suggested.

"That might work," Evie nodded. "But yeah... For a while, Henry was my least favorite person in the world when Mom brought him back home. He kept crying, making messes, and being annoying, but he was just a baby, so he couldn't help it," she then explained. "I sometimes tried to get rid of him."

"Evie, you did not!" Mal smirked.

"I did so," Evie defended. "I once tried to put him on the hospital's doorstop so that they could take him back to 'The Baby Store' where he came from."

"Evie!" Mal kept her smirk.

"I was a little kid, give me a break!" Evie retorted as she smirked back. "I even tried to sell him to Mr. Gold when he came by to collect the rent."

"Who's Mr. Gold?" Mal asked.

"Oh, you haven't met him?" Ruby replied. "I guess you wouldn't have. Well, he's the landlord around here, he goes around collecting rent and scaring people and owns the pawnshop."

"Jafar's Junk Shop?" Mal guessed.

"The other, more successful pawnshop," Evie corrected. "'Gold & Son: Pawnbrokers and Antiquities'."

"Oh, yeah," Mal then nodded. "I think I've passed that place on the way to school."

"He's also Ben's uncle," Evie then added. "I doubt you'll ever meet him, but if you do, brace yourself. He kinda has a creepy reputation around town since he owns it."

"So your mom doesn't?" Mal then asked.

"Regina is just the mayor of town, but that doesn't mean she owns it." Ruby clarified.

"Ohh... Okay..." Mal said then.

"Yeah... I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to that little brat," Evie sighed softly, though playful when she called Henry "a little brat". "As of right now, he's my whole world."

Mal looked soft as she thought of the times she bonded with her big sister again. It seemed like a very simple and happy time, but that was just a once upon a time long ago. She tried not to get emotional or cry about Lily, especially since no one in this town knew who she was, but she debated on talking to Evie about her. The rest of the time was quiet as Ruby and Goldie caught up with Evie and Mal chimed in once in a while, though Mal was mostly distant in thought. She closed her eyes and thought back of when their parents took Lily to talk in private and spent time yelling at her and scolding her for having a fake ID and using their mother's credit card even though she was a mostly perfectly good student.

Mal remembered that Lily mentioned that she wanted to live outside of being a top student. No one in school took her seriously, that was, until she then decided to become a bit of a rebel. Mal barely understood the arguments her parents and big sister would get into, but looking back, some of them made sense. Perhaps this was why Mal was the way she was? Only someone poking her brain would be able to tell, such as the school guidance counselor who often talked with students who had problems of their own and just needed to blow off some steam so they wouldn't drop out or do something heinous on campus.

"All right, that purple looks great on your fingernails," Ruby smiled as the time flew by after Mal let her mind wander. "Let's see how it looks on your toenails."

"Huh? Oh, okay," Mal nodded as she then stood up and stretched out her fingertips. "Thanks, Red."

"It's Ruby," Ruby corrected with a slight glare before smiling. "But no problem."

Mal smiled back, though a bit bashfully as she went to go sit down where a cutesy looking blonde girl was, sitting next to Jane.

"Mal? Is that you?" Jane asked the dark-haired girl.

"...Hi, Jane," Mal greeted the headmistress's daughter, heaving a sharp sigh in between before forcing a smile in order to be polite and sociable. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm great," Jane beamed. "I just love a spa day, don't you?"

"I know I do, Jane." The blonde girl giggled.

Mal looked confused and curious of who this girl was with Jane.

"All right, Evie, I'm gonna let your fingernails dry a little bit and then I'm going to let you sit down." Goldie smiled at the mayor's daughter.

"Thanks, Goldie, you're the best." Evie smiled back.

Jane and the blonde girl continued to talk as Mal decided to tune them out by putting her earbuds in and playing on her phone. She was curious of who that blonde girl was, but decided that she would probably find out later. Eventually, the other two girls left and went to pay as Evie went to take her shoes off and slide her feet into the water below her feet, adjusting to it as Goldie decided to see the other two girls as they were leaving.

"Uh, hey, Evie?" Mal spoke up as she took one earbud out.

"Mm-hmm?~" Evie smiled, looking very relaxed as she glanced over at Mal.

"Who's that girl with Jane?" Mal asked.

"Huh? Oh, her?" Evie blinked as she glanced over at Jane and the blonde girl before looking back. "Oh. That's Wendy Darling."

"Darling?" Mal smirked, misunderstanding at first. "Since when do you say 'darling'?"

"No, silly! That's her name," Evie giggled. "Wendy Moira Angela Darling."

"Oh..." Mal blinked. "I just didn't think I saw her around school."

"Oh, yeah, she goes to school with us," Evie nodded. "She just mostly hangs around Jane. They're best friends, ya know."

"Okay then," Mal said as she leaned back. "Well, I guess it's nice that Jane has some friends."

"It's usualy just her and Wendy though," Evie remarked. "She and Chad used to be good friends though when they were little kids since their mothers were close friends, but... I guess puberty hit and they got distant with each other. It's sad what happens when some friends grow up and move on while you have to let them go."

"Oh, yeah," Mal nodded. "I had some friends at my old school I was close with... They probably forgot all about me by now though."

"I guess it's tough being the new kid," Evie remarked. "I'd love to help Jane out though, I'm just not sure what to do."

"Help her out?" Mal asked. "With what? How to dress like a high schooler?"

Evie gave Mal a bit of a look as that sounded kind of mean.

"...What?" Mal asked defensively.

"You know what," Evie retorted firmly, but luckily decided to move on so that they wouldn't get in a fight. "I just thought Jane and Wendy could expand their social circles a little bit. Maybe help them meet some new people. Maybe we could do something for them?"

"We?" Mal blinked.

"Yeah, I thought it'd be nice," Evie nodded. "Like maybe we could have a study group with some of the other girls or something? Do our homework together, hang out, just become friends?"

"How about a party?" Mal soon suggested with a small smirk.

Evie winced nervously at the mention of a "party". "A-A-A party?" she then asked.

"Yeah, come on," Mal smirked. "What could it hurt?"

"I shouldn't have a party at my house, Mal," Evie declined. "I'd have to ask my mom and she doesn't really like big parties unless it's a grown-up party with drinks and finger foods."

"Ugh... Boring!" Mal rolled her eyes. "You're almost an adult, Evie. You don't need to ask your mom for permission if you wanna have fun."

"I'm sorry, Mal, but I just can't have a party right now," Evie said softly. "Maybe some other time. I think we should have a study group with some of the other girls first and then we'll see how we feel about maybe a small party? I just couldn't risk a big party. I'm not like you."

Mal looked soft and a bit frustrated in defeat. If she had said yes, she would've settled that score with Uma right away, but she tried to be patient with Evie. Also, a study group? Talk about a good waste of your free time away from school... Though studying was good because who wants to go to summer school?

* * *

Eventually, Ruby and Goldie began to give Mal and Evie their pedicures. Evie soon texted her mother a response when she asked Goldie how much longer it would be until they could go. Mal had to admit, though very girly, the manicures and pedicures were a lot of fun and today was just the best she had ever had. At least in Auradon Heights, that is.

"So, you think maybe a girly study group with Jane, Wendy, and maybe some other girls we know would be fun?" Evie asked Mal as they soon went to pay the fee before they would leave the Mall with Henry.

"Yeah, I guess it's better than nothing," Mal replied. "I just think a party would be very good for you."

"Sorry, Mal, just not right now, okay?" Evie sighed softly. "I promise, we'll have a party some other time."

"...Okay," Mal nodded, trying to keep calm and patient. "Thanks for today, I had a great time."

Evie beamed. "I had a great time too~"

"I had fun too for the most part." Henry spoke up.

"I'm glad ya did," Evie giggled as she ruffled up his hair. "Gotta keep Prince Baby Brother happy and entertained, don't I?"

"You succeed," Henry smirked. "Just don't call me 'Baby Brother' in front of your friends."

"All right, I won't do that again." Evie smirked back.

"Have a good evening, you guys." Ruby said as she took out a lollipop and started to gnaw at it.

"You too," Evie nodded. "See ya, Goldie. See ya, Ruby."

"Bye!" Goldie and Ruby smiled and waved them off.

Mal, Evie, and Henry soon smiled at each other as they went to leave the Mall.

* * *

The fun was cut short though as both Regina and Ciara were shown, looking very sharp and firm.

"...Hey, Mom..." Mal greeted softly.

"Henry, get in the car," Regina told her son first. "Your sister and I need to talk."

Henry looked soft and soon went to the back-seat of the car and slammed it shut behind him. He looked out the window though, looking soft and concerned for his older sister.

"I guess I should go hide in the car too, huh?" Mal suggested, about to go to her mother's car.

"Not so fast, Malissa," Ciara said, putting her hand up to make her daughter stop in her tracks. "We need to talk too."

Mal groaned as she stopped herself and sighed sharply, slowly folding her arms.

"Evelyn Ingrid Mills... You told me that Mal's mother knew where she was and she was fine with you spending the day at the Mall." Regina coldly told her daughter.

"Not only that, but I was informed about a certain detention." Ciara added to her own.

"S-Sorry, Mom..." Evie said softly. "But I just wanted Mal to be happy and have fun. I felt bad that she got detention."

"You should have told me," Regina replied. "Why didn't you?"

"I... I-I didn't think you'd let me hang out with Mal if I told you about it," Evie said, trying not to cry. "Can't you see that Mal's pretty miserable being new in town?"

"I'm not mad that you want to hang out with your new friend even though she got a detention," Regina explained to Evie. "I'm mad that you didn't tell me and said that Mal's mother would be okay with this."

"I-I'm sorry, Mom," Evie frowned as she stared down at the ground. "I won't do it ever again."

"See that you don't," Regina replied firmly. "I want you to go straight to your room when we come home. We'll talk about it later before dinner."

"Yes, ma'am." Evie nodded, not even trying to fight with her mother's wrath.

"Now go get in the car," Regina decided. "You can see Mal again on Monday. I'm very disappointed in you, Evie."

Evie gasped out of fright as that seemed to pierce her heart and she then went over to the car, a bit slow in her step as she opened the door and sulked as she sat in her seat, beginning to let tears fall from her eyes.

"Go to the car too, Mal," Ciara told her daughter. "We'll talk about this later. I'm disappointed in you too."

Mal rolled her eyes with a small groan. She then picked herself up and went to the car before looking at the car window as Evie began to cry a bit. Henry leaned forward with a small frown and soon brought out a tissue to his big sister. Evie looked over and took the tissue before wiping her eyes and blowing her nose emotionally. Mal felt bad, but she didn't see what the big deal was to be so upset about, so she decided to talk with Evie for a bit while she still could. Luckily, Regina and Ciara began to talk to each other before going back to their own cars.

"Hey..." Mal said as Evie looked over and then rolled down her window with a firm pout on her face. "You okay?"

"My mom's disappointed in me," Evie replied as her voice cracked. "How do you think I feel?"

"Evie, parents say that all the time when they act like they're not mad," Mal rolled her eyes before giving a small smile. "It's no big deal anyway. My mom says she's disappointed in me all the time."

"Yeah, well, you're used to it." Evie replied coldly as she rolled the window back up.

Mal flinched as that struck her a bit, she had to admit. She then rubbed her arm and soon went to her mother's car and waited while the two mothers discussed some things. Another car was pulling up to the Mall as Chad, Aziz, and Ben were leaving the Mall as well.

* * *

"Well, there's your dream girl," Chad smirked once he spotted Mal. "You wanna go talk to her before she rides away?"

"...I'll try to wait until school," Ben suggested. "I'm sensing some negative energy around here."

"Whatever you say, man." Chad said with a small shrug.

"Come on, let's go home." Aziz suggested.

The three boys then went into the car that came for them and they soon rode away. Mal stared out the window before she saw the car riding by and saw Ben before ducking down bashfully. She wasn't sure if he even saw him, but she certainly did see him. It at least took her mind off of her mother's ire for a few moments until the woman soon came into the car and went to drive them back home as Regina went to take Evie and Henry back home.

"I don't know much about this Mal girl, but I am definitely going to find out as soon as possible," Ben promised himself. "Whether she's a bad girl or not, she deserves a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, some random end of chapter trivia. You might be wondering who Scarlet is... Well, I am too. Apparently she's a character in the Descendants mobile game which is unfortunately long gone and I never got a chance to play it :( but yeah, she kinda looks like Tinkerbell based on what I've seen, so I guess she's Tinkerbell's daughter? Whatever, probably not important... Also, looks like things are getting heated between Mal and Evie, hopefully they get better sooner than later.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit of a language warning for this chapter as well as slightly tense situations between parent and child. Please read with caution.

"So, Ben, you still wanna give Mal a chance?" Chad asked his best friend.

"It couldn't hurt," Ben shrugged. "Sure, she might seem a little rough around the edges, but I'm sure she's a decent person who won't get me hurt or in trouble."

"Maybe if you look after her a bit," Aziz smirked. "Maybe you could be her Guardian Angel."

"Very funny." Ben scoffed and rolled his hazel eyes.

* * *

It was a long ride home for both Mal and Evie. Mal began to feel hurt and pained that she let Evie get into trouble, especially since her new friend looked very crushed to hear that her mother was disappointed in her, not to mention being called by her full name. She never saw it as a big deal personally and never thought it would affect someone else so terribly when she was just accustomed to getting into trouble and her mother being mad at her. Ciara's eyes were narrowed, but luckily, she continued to concentrate on her driving so then there wouldn't be a crash, but she didn't need to use any words to tell Mal that she was "very angry and disappointed" and the girl would most likely be confined to her room for some time. 

"Get inside, Malissa," Ciara said once they got out of the car and pulled up to their home. "We need to talk."

"Yeah, Mom." Mal scoffed as she walked on inside.

"Watch that tone, young lady." Ciara warned sharply as she soon followed Mal inside. 

Mal then wordlessly sat on the couch and hiked her legs up so that she could sit on them to be comfortable. Ciara then hung up her coat and hat on the rack by the door and shut the door, locking it instantly before she soon came to sit down on the living room couch next to her daughter. Mal didn't face her mother right away as she just stared into the cold, empty fireplace.

"Mal... Look at me..." Ciara demanded.

Mal soon glanced over, nearly looking dead-eyed.

"Why didn't you tell me you had detention?" Ciara asked.

"Like you would've answered your phone anyway," Mal huffed as she rolled her emerald eyes. "You barely even remember I exist anymore. As soon as we got here, you've been disappearing for hours and I only really see you when I hear you coming in late at night while I'm asleep."

"Mal... I know this move isn't easy on any of us and your father doesn't live with us anymore..." Ciara began to say.

Mal suddenly mumbled darkly to herself.

"What was that?" Ciara demanded as she crossed her arms.

Mal glowered as she crossed her arms as well and soon looked her mother in the eyes without fear. "I said I wish I was with him or with Lily!" she then spat out.

"You know for a fact that you can't be with Lily," Ciara said softly, though tried to sound firm in tone as that was a very serious subject. "Your sister was a very bright and intelligent girl and then she got into serious trouble. She got herself killed, Malissa. Is that what you want?"

Mal then groaned as she punched the pillow next to her suddenly.

"Do you not understand?" Ciara continued, suddenly getting very sharp in her tone of voice. "Your sister brought herself into a world of danger and rebellion and look where it got her. She literally dug her own grave and she had to lie in it."

"Maybe Lily didn't die," Mal glared. "Maybe she just faked her own death and ran away with her friends or Dad to get away from you!"

"Malissa Bertha, don't talk to me like that!" Ciara scolded.

"Quit calling me that!" Mal complained. "I hate it when you call me that! I hate the name Malissa! I hate the name Bertha! What do you _not_ fucking understand?! It's _MAL_! CALL ME MAL!"

"Language!" Ciara warned.

"Screw your language!" Mal huffed. 

"Malissa, what is wrong with you?" Ciara retorted. "It's almost as if I can't make you happy anymore!"

"I was _never_ happy with you, Mom!" Mal sneered. 

"Yes, you were!" Ciara retorted. "You were always so happy whenever you'd come home from school to play with your father. You were happy whenever Lily finished up her homework so that she could play with you. You were happy when--"

"Newsflash, Mom!" Mal crossed her arms. "I was happy once upon a long time ago! Before you and Dad started fighting or whenever you'd bust Lily for getting into trouble! We were all happy and then you became a control freak! If anyone should be at blame here, it should be you!"

" _Me_?!" Ciara glowered.

"Yeah!" Mal glared as her face turned red. "You don't care about any of us! All you ever cared about was yourself and no one could be happy unless you were happy! That's just bullshit, Mom, and you know it!"

"Mal... I will not tolerate salty language or insubordination in my house," Ciara narrowed her eyes, though her voice seemed to be cracking. "You better watch your mouth and behavior or else there will be consequences."

"Oh... I'm so scared..." Mal scoffed as she rolled her eyes. 

"Mal... You better watch yourself," Ciara warned. "Because if you're not too careful you'll just end up like your father or sister."

"You mean free?" Mal smirked. "I'd love a taste of freedom."

"No, Mal, that is not what I meant." Ciara said through her teeth as she tried to keep herself under control.

"I'd do anything to track down Dad or Lily right about now," Mal replied before looking over at her mother coldly. "I bet they're having a hell of a lot more fun than we are now."

"MAL!" Ciara glared.

"Oh, am I grounded now?" Mal scoffed as she leaned back and spread her legs around, putting her feet up on the coffee table. "You gonna ground me now? That's right, Mom, suck the fun out. Take the fun out of everything."

"I SAID STOP IT!" Ciara sneered as she suddenly struck Mal across the face with her hand.

Mal gasped as that actually did catch her by surprise as her cheek caught her mother's slapping hand. She had very wide eyes and looked like a deer caught in headlights and she began to tremble a bit, unable to think of a proper response.

"Mal..." Ciara said softly as she instantly regretted what she just did. "Mal... I-I'm sorry... I..."

Mal didn't even answer her mother as she blinked, having tear-filled eyes. She then suddenly held her sore cheek and ran over to her bedroom and slammed the door shut, locking it right behind her.

"Mal... Come on, Mal..." Ciara frowned softly as she soon got up and off of the couch and knocked on the door, trying to get inside, but the door was locked. "Mal, don't lock your mother out of your room. I'm sorry! Please... Just come out."

Mal was soon lying down on her bed as she cried into her pillow, feeling the stinging pain on her cheek. She soon looked out her bedroom window, seeing one star shining brighter than the others that night. She soon got up off of her bed as she ignored her mother's knocking and muffled begging from the other side as she soon opened the window and rested her hands under her chin as she looked up at the bright star. She wished she could go back to the simple days and slowly closed her eyes as the star shined bright and she thought of one of the last times she and her family were happy.

She remembered that Lily was helping stuff and pack their suitcases. Their father promised to take them snowboarding out of town with some old friends of his while their mother decided to stay behind for some fun in the sun, taking a winter vacation over to Hawaii. Mal even giggled a bit as she remembered her father throwing snowballs indoors to get them in the mood before accidentally hitting their mother on the backside with a snowball. Though very annoyed, she laughed along with them. All those memories just felt like a fairy tale right now.

* * *

Meanwhile, though she was a very sweet girl and was seen as a princess in Auradon Heights, Evie was not spared from the scolding. 

"I can't believe you lied to me like that," Regina firmly frowned at Evie. "Why didn't you just tell me the truth? I would've understood."

"I... I thought you wouldn't let me hang around Mal anymore if you knew she was in trouble," Evie said softly, trying not to cry. "I'm really sorry, Mom. I just didn't want you to hate her or me because of the detention and the surprise sleepover."

"Well, I don't hate her or you for that, and I don't hate you for lying, I'm a little upset about it, but I don't hate you," Regina said as she heaved a sharp sigh. "I'm just a little--"

"Disappointed?" Evie guessed since parents often said "they weren't mad, but only disappointed", though that just sounded like a flimsy excuse to ground said child. 

"...Yes," Regina nodded as she had to admit that was true. "I'm a little disappointed in you, Evie. You were never much trouble before, even if you were sometimes angry and jealous when I first brought Henry home from the hospital."

Evie sulked as that cut her deep inside. Her mother just had to remind her of that. 

"Evie, now, listen to me," Regina said softly. "I'm not furious or hate you, even if you lied to me, but I can see you just wanted to cheer your friend up."

"Well... Yeah... She hasn't been in school that long and she's already gotten into terrible trouble," Evie defended. "I just thought it was unfair. She should've at least been given a warning, right, Mom?"

"I don't know much about all of that since I'm not on the board of education, but I admire you trying to help a friend out and keeping yourself busy since your brother had a doctor's appointment," Regina replied. "I'm afraid though, you'll have to do some extra chores around the house to make up for this little error in performance."

"What?!" Evie gasped.

"Evie, please don't talk back to me," Regina said, firm, but still a little gentle at the same time. "You'll have to do dishes, take out the trash, and not leave the house next week."

"Am I still allowed to go to school?" Evie asked with a small shrug.

"You have to go to school... Nothing can ever change that," Regina reminded. "Just remember... I'm not angry, just disappointed and a little bit frustrated, but that doesn't mean I don't love you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mom, I'm not a child," Evie said, trying not to throw a fit as she had always been mature about that, even when she was younger and more afraid of her mother. "I'm really sorry I told some untruths, but I just wanted my friend to be happy."

"I understand," Regina nodded. "Believe me, I've shared some of my lies to your grandmother when I was younger... Some were even fatal..." she then added softly and distantly before speaking a bit more vocally again. "But I don't want you to step foot out of this house for the rest of the day."

"Yes, Mom..." Evie replied. 

"Very good," Regina said. "Now, do you have any extra homework you need to finish up for before dinner?"

"I just have a little bit," Evie admitted. "I'll go get it done and lock myself in my room until you call me down."

"I don't think you need to lock yourself up, but all right," Regina said with a small smile to show that she wasn't mad. "I'm sure you and Mal can talk again on Monday."

"Hmm..." Evie paused as she looked a bit unsure about that.

"Now, you head on upstairs," Regina replied. "Mr. Glass will be here any minute now and we need to discuss some new forms before dinner time."

"Yes, Mom." Evie nodded as picked herself up and went to go on upstairs. 

"Oh, and Evie?" Regina soon called, making her older daughter stop. "Check on Henry and make sure if he needs help with his homework or not."

"Yes, Mom." Evie nodded again and then continued to work her way upstairs.

Regina nodded in return and soon walked off to head over to her home office.

* * *

"How did it go?" Graham asked as he was shown to be in the living room, standing up from the couch.

"It went decently, I suppose," Regina said, sounding a bit exhausted. "She's a good kid, she really is... But sometimes, I feel exhausted having a teenage daughter... At least she doesn't get sent to the headmistress's office all the time or talk back to me or use foul language."

"That, in enough itself, is a very big blessing," Graham nodded as he wrapped his arm around her. "Evie's a sweet girl, she's just getting at that age. We've all been through it before."

"I know, Graham," Regina said. "Evie and Henry are very good kids and I do my best to take care of them and this whole town. Sometimes I'm just worried it'll all disappear between my fingertips and I'll slip off the slippery slope. I mean... I've done some forbidden things that my mother wouldn't approve of... And that was enough to give me Evie in the first place," she then looked wide-eyed. "Oh, Graham, what if Evie--"

"Shh~..." Graham shushed before giving Regina a long kiss on the lips to soothe her as she then slowly shut her eyes with a small, sappy smile forming on her face. "That won't happen. Evie's too smart to do something like that."

"...Yes, I guess you're right," Regina nodded. "I enjoyed spending time with that Mal girl, I just hope that she isn't a bad influence."

"She seems a bit rough around the edges, yes, but Evie's strong and smart for her age and so is Henry," Graham coaxed as he stroked Regina's face before they both sat back down on the couch. "And don't worry about being a bad mother or not."

"You don't think I am, do you?" Regina raised an eyebrow then.

"I definitely do not, not at all," Graham reassured as he lightly patted her on the back. "You are perfect."

"Hmm... Nobody's perfect~" Regina smirked.

"Except for you," Graham smirked back as he took her hands. "I happen to know you are the most perfect woman in the whole town, Regina Mills~"

"Gr-Graham~"..." Regina giggled, blushing a bit. "Not when the kids are home~"

"You still have time until Mr. Glass comes by for a visit," Graham chuckled as he towered over top of her with a small smirk. "Why don't we have some good, old-fashioned fun? You look like you could use some cheering up."

"...I suppose I could have a little bit of fun," Regina smirked as she bit her lip. "But if the kids bust us, it's all your fault~"

"Fine, I'll take the blame," Graham chuckled. "Maybe I'll even be able to spend the night and have some breakfast tomorrow before school~"

Regina giggled and hugged him before they began to kiss each other, falling onto the couch together.

* * *

Evie sighed as she sat in her bedroom, sketching in her diary as she seemed to be sketching a new dress design. She had always had a love for fashion when she was growing up and even hoped to work in the fashion industry when she got older, touring to the most fashionable capital of the world: Paris, France. It was a great way for her to destress, especially when she couldn't go to the Mall for a long time after school and just let her imagination run wild. She still felt a bit sour though even though this was one of the few things to make her feel better before she flinched and heard a knock on her door.

"C-Come in..." Evie soon said as she continued to sketch.

"It's just me." Henry said, poking his head in through the door.

"Oh... Am I allowed visitors during my life sentence in this prison?" Evie smirked playfully.

"I don't think the warden would mind," Henry smirked back as he soon came in, shutting the door behind him, and then went over to Evie's desk and pulled the chair out a bit and sat on it across from his big sister's bed. "Don't you think you were a little too hard on Mal?"

"Hard on Mal?" Evie asked, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You were kinda mean to her before Mom took us home," Henry explained. "Mom was disappointed in you and you just kinda snapped at her."

"I... I didn't think it was such a big deal..." Evie shrugged. "You're only 10... What do you know?"

"Evie, you're doing it again," Henry frowned. "That's not the Evie I know. You're always so nice, sweet, and helpful to anyone who comes your way. Mal might be a bit tough, what you said to her was kinda mean."

"...You're absolutely right, Henry," Evie said softly once she realized how what she said had come out. "That was uncalled for of me and I snapped at her when she was just trying to help."

"I'm sorry this weekend got spoiled because Mom and Mal's mom busted you guys," Henry said. "I think you need to make it up to her somehow."

"...Yes, Henry," Evie nodded in agreement. "You're very mature for your age."

"I try to anyway," Henry shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I don't understand a lot of kids who are my age. They just act like a bunch of donkeys whenever Ms. Blanchard can't come to class and Ms. Shirin is in charge in her absence and they wonder why they're all being yelled at the next day for 'insubordination'. Yeah! I wonder why? It's not like you did _anything_ to warrant not having recess for the day!" he then ranted, sarcastically about his immature classmates.

Evie laughed a little bit as she found that funny. 

"Just eight more years and I can get outta here," Henry crossed his arms with a firm pout. "When I grow up and get married, I'm gonna be alone."

"When you grow up and get married? Okay, Henry, good luck with that," Evie giggled. "You just have to promise you'll come visit me someday~"

"Oh, I will, Evie," Henry nodded. "I couldn't leave you trapped here. It'd be super boring without me around all the time."

"That's right," Evie smirked, pinching one of his cheeks, but made sure not to do it too long because then she would end up hurting him. "Want some help with your homework?"

"All right... You can help me because 'demicals' are just so impossible," Henry said. "Are you good at them?"

"I do pretty well with them, yeah," Evie nodded as she stood up off of her bed and took his hand to get out of the room into his. "After all, that's how I take care of spending my allowance and whenever there's a 50% off sale at the Mall."

"Just promise me you'll talk to Mal when you go back to school?" Henry reminded.

"I will, Henry," Evie nodded as she promised him. "I don't know what I'll say yet, but we will talk."

"Good," Henry smiled. "Because I liked hanging out with her when she was here."

"I did too, Henry." Evie smiled back.

And so, the two Mills siblings stepped out of the room before they heard grunting and squealing.

"Did you hear that?" Henry asked his sister. "It sounds like Mom's in pain or something."

Evie looked unsure and nervous before she and Henry went to go check on their mother.

* * *

"I dub thee Queen of Auradon Heights," Graham smirked as he was under the covers beside Regina, both cuddling each other a bit in her bed. "May ye long live happily and in rule of the town until the next Election Day."

"But who would be foolish enough to campaign against me?" Regina smirked back as she kissed him right on the lips.

Graham leaned in as he kissed her right back. 

"Mom? Are you okay?" Henry asked as he opened his mother's bedroom door as the two adults quickly fumbled in the bed and pulled the covers over top of each other nervously. "We thought we heard screaming and--"

Suddenly, Evie and Henry stopped dead in their tracks. Regina and Graham smiled sheepishly while Evie looked jaw-dropped and wide-eyed as Henry just looked plain-faced and confused.

"...What are you guys doing in bed so early?" Henry asked out of confusion. "I thought Mr. Glass was coming over before dinner."

Evie didn't say anything as she just stared, gobsmacked and a bit traumatized.

"Oh, the trip back home was tiring and I needed to rest." Regina covered up sheepishly.

"And... I needed... To help her... Rest." Graham added, just as sheepish.

"Uh... Erm... C-C-Come on, Henry... I have to help you with your homework and I have a feeling... I'm gonna... N-Need to help handle dinner..." Evie stuttered as she sounded very sick to her stomach and also a little bit scared.

"I thought you were going to stay in your room until dinner~" Regina whispered to her elder daughter.

"Yeah, well, Henry got worried about you, so maybe next time you could put a tie on the door or send a text or..." Evie slowly blinked and soon went to put her arm around her younger brother's shoulder. "You know what? I'm... I'm gonna help Henry with his homework."

And so, the two Mills siblings left and shut the door behind them to go back into Henry's room.

"It's impressive that you can still provide her with a few traumatic childhood memories at this stage of the game," Graham smirked at Regina. "See? You are a good mother and she's even remembering the rules and facing the consequences of her actions."

"I think this being the ending to her weekend will be punishment enough for a long time." Regina smirked back before she kissed him with a chuckle.

"What was going on back there, Evie?" Henry asked.

"Never mind that, let's just go upstairs." Evie replied nervously.

"What about Mom?" Henry asked.

"SHUT UP, DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT OUR MOTHER!" Evie cried out, overreacting a bit.

Henry just blinked, feeling totally confused and lost as they soon went to head back to his bedroom.

* * *

Mal groaned as she sat up in her room, hugging her stomach as the sun was going down and it was going to be a long week starting tomorrow. It was Monday and it was going to be a pain in the butt. Not to mention she wasn't sure if she would still have a friend by tomorrow or not. She blinked a few tears in her eyes though as she stared out into the night sky and looked a bit depressed.

"Come on, Mal," Ciara soon called back after a couple of hours had passed. "At least get some dinner."

"I'm not hungry." Mal firmly pouted as she crossed her arms, sitting up then. 

"Mal, you have to eat something," Ciara replied. "I'm not serving up cod liver oil or anything like that."

"Funny... I thought that was your specialty." Mal smirked.

"Come on, Mal," Ciara sighed sharply out the door. "I'm your mother. I can tell that you're hungry right about now."

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not..." Mal muttered. 

Eventually, Ciara was quiet. A few moments had passed and it was just Mal left in silence. Mal soon looked around and crept over to her bedroom door and opened the door, looking from left to right. She didn't see her mother, though she saw a tray that had a plate of dragon-shaped cookies with a tall glass of warm milk. 

"Bribery won't work, Mom..." Mal rolled her eyes, but she soon decided to take the tray of cookies and the glass of milk anyway. She then noticed the shape, thinking instantly of the good old days with her sister and soon ate them up and the next thing she knew, she was fast asleep in her bed after eating the plate of cookies and drinking the warm milk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that one was at least good, couldn't resist a little "Parent Squick", but poor Evie! Well, you know what they say, things get worse before they get better, especially for what's planned for after this... But will Mal and Evie be friends again? Only one way to find out! Keep reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I decided to make this a series for when I'm not working on Adventures or anything else. This'll be the first and later on, I'll make a sequel if you guys are up for that. So let me know what you think of that if I should or if I'm just wasting my time. I hope you're liking the crossover so far, I'm pretty excited about this myself. Remember to Read & Review! ...Ya know, as long as you aren't being a dick about it.

"It's time to wake up, Ben." Belle's voice rang like a morning songbird as it was Monday yet again.

"Okay, Mom, I'm getting up," Ben smiled after he yawned a bit in his bed, sitting up. "Another day, another not dollar because I don't have a job like Dad."

"Come now, going to school is a job." Belle smiled back.

"If it's a job, then how come I don't get paid?" Ben retorted playfully as he rolled out of bed to get ready for the day.

"You get paid in education," Belle replied as she then went to wake Clarice up for school next. "Just try to have a good day today."

"Yeah, I'd love to," Ben nodded as he made his bed after he got out of it. "Especially if I could have Clarice's class with Ms. Blanchard."

Belle giggled warmly as she went into her younger daughter's bedroom. Ben then made his bed as he yawned and soon shut his bedroom door so that he could get dressed and out of his much more comfortable pajamas to be replaced by his not as comfortable school uniform. After Ben left his bedroom, he walked by his parents' room and heard snoring and gently cracked the door open to see that his father was home, but was still asleep. He must've worked himself too hard. It just made Ben wonder how he was going to be a functional and suitable adult in the future like his parents? They made it look so easy while he and Clarice were just spoonfed priveledges and good times all around, unlike most other kids who barely had a chance at a good life due to their upbringing.

"We best not disturb your father this morning, Benny," Belle whispered as she shut the door and had her teenage son step out of the way. "He's worked very hard and will work even harder after this week."

"Oh... Okay, Mom," Ben nodded. "So... Does that mean he's going out of town this week?"

"Yes," Belle replied. "Your father and I will probably be gone before you and your sister get out of school today."

"Okay, Mom..." Ben said, sounding softer than he did when he first answered her. "We'll be good for Aunt Lacey and cousin Gideon."

"And your uncle." Belle added as a sharp reminder.

"And... Uncle... Right..." Ben nodded. When he was a lot younger and more around Clarice's age, he had a deep fear and dreadful feeling around his uncle. He was very strict and cold in contrast to his fun-loving and cool aunt who usually let the kids do whatever they wanted as long as it was legal. He was always told "Your uncle's not so bad once you get to know him better" which was pretty much a code for "You'll get used to him being a sore ass". He wasn't as afraid of his uncle as he was now a teenager, but he still felt chills and felt terrified of being alone in a room with him without his aunt or cousin there to control his temper. He just had to wonder what Aunt Lacey ever saw in him.

* * *

Eventually, Ben helped Clarice to some breakfast, giving them both bowls of cereal as Belle had to go right back upstairs. The two talked about their own school days, though Ben let Clarice do most of the talking, even if her stories seemed to go on for a while. He never truly minded though and plus, Clarice was the little princess of the house and was Ben's whole world ever since she was born. After eating breakfast, it was time to brush their teeth so that any food they ate wouldn't stick and be a bit of a social deformity in their respective classes.

"I hate brushing my teeth." Clarice pouted.

"I know, Clarice, but it's very good for you," Ben insisted. "Besides, if you lose a tooth, the Tooth Fairy will give you $5 for it."

"What does she do with the teeth?" Clarice asked.

"Here we go..." Ben smirked to himself as the first out of a million questions that Clarice would ask about life.

"Is her castle made out of teeth? How does she know when a kid loses a tooth? Where does she get the money? Does she have a magic wand? Is she also the dentist?"

Ben chuckled as he tried to answer as many questions as he could without blowing a fuse as they both brushed their teeth and continued to get ready for school. Some time had passed and it was soon time to get going.

"Mom! We're going to school!" Ben called out upstairs, hoping that he didn't wake up his father.

"All right!" Belle called back and soon came to go downstairs to help them get to school. "Careful, Ben. You almost woke up your father."

"Sorry, Mom, but I didn't wanna leave without saying anything." Ben said bashfully.

"I understand," Belle smiled as she came over to take the two over to the car. "Now Clarice, I want you to be very good for your Aunt Lacey tonight."

"When are you and Daddy coming back home?" Clarice pouted. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, dear, but don't worry," Belle coaxed. "Daddy and I won't be gone forever. I promise~"

Clarice soon hugged her mother right away. "I hate it when you and Daddy go away." she then said with a firm pout.

"Clarice, we don't hate." Ben warned his younger sister, remembering being told that when he was around her age.

"That's right," Belle nodded. "Hate is a very strong word."

"Sorry, Mama~" Clarice said softly then.

"It's okay, dear," Belle said with a small smile. "Just remember to listen to everything your Aunt Lacey says and if you do play with cousin Gideon, be kind and gentle around him. He's still very sensitive for his age. No practicing with him for your football game, Benny." she then added to her teenage son.

"Yeah, Mom, I know," Ben chuckled bashfully. "You have a great trip with Dad."

"Oh... Come here~" Belle cooed as she hugged them before they got into the car and she went to drive them to school.

Ben helped make sure that Clarice was comfortable and secure, smiling warmly at her. Clarice smiled back, kissing his cheek in thanks. Ben chuckled as he took in the kiss and soon went to sit in the front seat with his mother. Belle smiled warmly at her kids and soon strapped herself in as she went to ride off to the school as it would be a good time to go now rather than go later and risk having them being late to class.

"Can you bring us back something from your trip?" Clarice asked her mother.

"Hmm... I'll think about it~" Belle smiled warmly.

"Aww..." Clarice pouted as she took that as meaning "It's never going to happen" since that's almost always what grown-ups meant whenever they said that.

"You'll be surprised," Belle reassured. "Maybe that'll make you worry less about us, huh?"

"Okay, Mama~" Clarice said with a small nod.

"That's a good girl." Belle smiled warmly.

Ben smiled back as that worked out very nicely as they rode off to school for the day.

* * *

Everyone else was heading off to school in their own way. Mal soon came down and got herself a piece of toast for breakfast and was about to go out the door until she ran into her mother.

"Oh, Mal," Ciara smiled. "Good morning."

"...Hey, Mom," Mal greeted indifferently. "Can you make this quick? I gotta go to school."

"I know, dear, I know," Ciara nodded. "I just thought maybe you'd like for me to take you to school today."

"Oh, yeah?" Mal scoffed. "Why were you so busy last time that you couldn't even bother driving me to school or calling me?"

"...I'll tell you about that later," Ciara said softly. "Let's just get in the car."

"Why can't we talk about it now?" Mal narrowed her eyes.

"Mal, please, not now," Ciara sighed as she held her head. "Mommy has a headache."

Mal just rolled her eyes as she shrugged in defeat. "Whatever," she then grumbled out. "Let's just get this over with."

"Tone and language, young lady," Ciara sighed sharply, but she then nodded and went to lead Mal out the door and over to the car. Once they were both inside, she put her key in the ignition and fastened her seatbelt as Mal did the same and they rode off together. "I'm trying to do some special work while I'm here."

"What kind of special work?" Mal asked. "Are you a stripper at that seedy place called The Rabbit Hole or something?"

"Malissa Bertha!" Ciara gasped at that rather appalling question.

"Sorry, Mom, but what do I know?" Mal shrugged with a cocky smirk. "After all, I'm just a little girl in a new place and a new school~"

"You are a high school sophomore," Ciara rolled her eyes a bit. "But no, that's not my new job."

"Did you even find a job around here?" Mal asked. "I think you just moved here to avoid hatred from everyone in town for having Dad walk out on us and Lily's funeral."

"Mal..." Ciara sighed sharply.

"Fine. Fine," Mal shrugged. "What is it then?"

"Well... I'm trying to see if I can track down your father," Ciara replied. "It's just very complicated to explain, but I'm just trying to work something out. I know what happened with your father and sister was hard, but it's going to get better soon. I'm looking for a good lawyer and when I find your father, we'll talk about what happened before we moved away."

"You just want a good lawyer to make yourself look good so that you can mooch off of Dad's riches and you can be rich and then there'll be no room for me and you can kick me out and get together with your new lawyer." Mal rolled her eyes.

"Mal, please..." Ciara sighed and shook her head. "You just don't understand. You gotta stop acting like some kid and learn to grow up."

"I've heard that one before," Mal snorted. "Well... Good luck with that, Mom. I hope your lawyer is smart, but not too smart where he realizes how shallow and empty you are as a mother and as a human being."

Ciara narrowed her eyes, trying not to have a breakdown. She missed the old days when Mal was younger and more vulnerable. So much easier to control and keep under said control... Until Lily decided to go through a rebellious phase while working herself sick as a student to please their parents. Mal then wanted a taste of that power and had been closer to Lily ever since until her unfortunate and grave demise. Ciara hoped that Lily's death would be a lesson and example for Mal to go by given the circumstances, though Mal was just sour and pouty all the time because of it and still attempted to follow in Lily's edgy footsteps.

"You better watch yourself, Malissa..." Ciara warned, nearly hissing like a venomous snake.

"Yeah, right," Mal rolled her eyes. "As if my life could possibly get any worse than it is right now."

Eventually, the car ride came to a stop and Mal came out of the car as other students roamed about: the teenagers talking with each other while the younger kids played on the playground until the first bell would ring.

"By the way, if you don't think your life can get any worse, just remember this," Ciara smirked as she caught Mal before she could get too far away. "I can give you the worst punishment, a lot worse than being grounded or sent to military school."

"...You wouldn't dare." Mal narrowed her eyes darkly.

"Oh?" Ciara smirked before she honked the horn loudly on purpose to make the other students look over before she called out in a high-pitched voice, attempting to sound obnoxious, shrill, and annoying. "HAVE A GREAT DAY, SWEETIE! MOMMY LOVES YOU SOOOO MUCH!~ KISSES!" she then blew loud and sloppy kisses in Mal's direction.

"MOM!" Mal gasped as her face turned bright red from the painful humiliation.

Ciara grinned before she soon drove off. Mal soon slowly turned around to the students who were closer to her age who stared at her before bursting out into ruckus laughter while pointing at her and mocking her by blowing their own kisses and calling her names such as "Mama's Girl" or "Mama's Little Baby".

"Great..." Mal grumbled.

"Ouch... That's gotta hurt..." Audrey winced with a smirk as she stood with Coraline and Ivy.

"Someone better get some aloe vera because the new girl just got scorched~" Ivy smirked.

"She'll probably have to move away again, if she can ever grow out of diapers or Mommy holding her hand~" Coraline added.

Mal just groaned and rolled her eyes, trying to ignore them as she walked past them.

* * *

"Hey, Mal... That looked rough..." Evie commented as she stood by.

"Huh? Oh... Hi, Evie..." Mal said, a bit sourly as she came to her only friend in school so far. "Yeah... Your mom ever embarrass you like that?"

"Not really," Evie shrugged with a small smile as she took Mal over to the playground to ignore the other teenagers. "Mom was always a bit cold and distant... For a long time anyway. She seemed to open up a bit more and so did I after Henry came into our lives."

"Man, I wish I had a baby brother now," Mal smirked. "Maybe he can help distract my mom and make her leave me alone for a while."

"I'm not sure if it works for every mother," Evie replied as she took Mal's hands. "I did want to talk to you though."

"Oh?" Mal asked as she blinked from the hand touching as Evie brought her over to the swingset since it wasn't occupied yet.

"Yes," Evie nodded as they sat down in the swings together. "I'm sorry I kinda got mad at you for the Mall thing and what I said. About you being used to being a disappointment to your mother."

"Yeah... That kinda hurt, but I got over it," Mal shrugged. "No big deal."

"I'm just really sorry," Evie said softly. "I didn't mean that the way it came out."

"Hey, it's okay," Mal reassured. "I've heard a lot worse back home. We lived in a bad part of town, so everybody made fun of each other and we couldn't do much. I even got pickpocketed by a bunch of Kindergartners once."

"Whoa..." Evie whispered. "Seems to be a wonder that you survived through that and could afford to live in Auradon Heights."

"Heh... Yeah..." Mal smiled softly. "Are you okay though? Did you get in trouble with your mom for about what happened?"

"I have to do some extra chores around the house and keep an extra eye on Henry," Evie explained. "Mom said this morning that I'd be good to go by Friday if I keep my nose clean."

"...I hear that term a lot, what does it mean?" Mal soon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Keeping your nose clean? That just means to stay out of trouble," Evie explained. "I don't understand it either. Luckily Henry's not a brat or a pain in the butt to be around with."

"You'll be done by the end of this week, eh?" Mal replied thoughtfully as the gears in her head started turning as she remembered what she and Uma talked about. "Interesting~"

"...What makes you say that?" Evie asked. "Are you thinking about something?"

"...Maybe?" Mal grinned bashfully. "It's kind of a surprise."

"...If you tell me, I'll still act surprised?" Evie suggested with a small smirk. "C'mon, Mal. Tell me and then I'll see if it's okay with Mom first."

"Sorry, Evie, but I can't break my promise." Mal said softly.

"Promise to who?" Evie asked.

Mal was about to say Uma's name, but luckily caught herself so that she wouldn't spoil the surprise. "Well... Let's just say a special friend is looking out for ya," she then covered up. "And if you want, Henry can be apart of it too. If it's all right with him."

"...Well, I suppose he could, but if not, he can go to the animal shelter with Mr. Nolan," Evie replied. "Mr. Nolan's a good family friend of ours like Ms. Blanchard. I hear that those two are dating though~" she then smirked eagerly from the juicy gossip.

"Ooh~" Mal giggled a bit. "All right... Just talk with your mom if this week goes all right."

"Okay, Mal, keep your secrets," Evie nodded as she heaved a sharp sigh. "This just better be worth it."

"Oh, I believe that it will be." Mal reassured.

Eventually, the morning bell in the school rang and that meant it was time to head inside.

"Time for school," Evie said as she soon got up off of the swing and came over to her younger brother as he read his most favorite book in the world. "Henry, it's time to go inside."

"Okay, Evie," Henry nodded. "Did you and Mal make up?"

"Yes, we did," Evie smiled. "I think we're going to be best friends forever."

"Great!" Henry smiled back. "I had a great feeling about you two."

"Aww... You're so sweet~" Evie cooed as she hugged him, kissing his cheek a little.

Henry blushed a little from the kiss as Evie went to take him over to Ms. Blanchard's classroom. Mal soon got up off of the swing and walked off to join the other students inside the school before grunting as she ran into someone who made them both knock down.

"Ugh..." The other student groaned.

"Watch where you're going!" Mal complained until she gasped, seeing who it was.

"Heh... Sorry about that," Ben chuckled sheepishly as he sat on the ground and rubbed his head a bit. "I better save that for the football field, huh?"

"Uh... Yeah... Oh... It's you again..." Mal replied sheepishly as she noticed him, blushing. "...Robby, right?"

"Ben," Ben corrected with a small smirk. "No harm done though. You're new to this school, so you don't know me like everyone else around here."

"Yeah... Ben... That's a much better name," Mal nodded. "It's a name for a rat."

"...Excuse me?" Ben flinched, raising an eyebrow suddenly, slightly offended, but tried to not show it.

"You never heard of Ben?" Mal replied. "It's a horror film about a young boy and his pet rat, Ben from the 1970's. You think you were named after it?"

"Heh... I hope not," Ben chuckled bashfully, finding her sense of humor very interesting. "You're a very unique girl, aren't you?"

"I try anyway," Mal shrugged. "So, what brings you on the playground? Are you that nostalgic for, uh, swingsets?"

"Just picking up my little sister and bringing her to class," Ben said as he pointed Clarice out who waved at him, waiting for him to take her into school. "It's kind of a big sibling duty around this school."

"Hm... I see..." Mal nodded. "I guess I wouldn't know."

"Yeah... It looks tough being an only child." Ben commented since he didn't know about Mal's situation.

Mal had to admit that that stung. Yes, he didn't know, but it kind of hurt that he didn't know about Lily and what had happened. "Y-Yeah... Only child..." she then nodded. "Well, I guess I'll let you take care of your sister."

"...Well, do you wanna come with me?" Ben offered and invited. "I'm sure Clarice wouldn't mind the company."

"Uh... Okay, sure," Mal shrugged before smirking. "As long as The Old Belfrey Bat doesn't write me up for being late to homeroom."

"Well, we'll try to make sure that doesn't happen," Ben smirked back. "Come on then."

Mal nodded as she began to follow him. She then yelped as an apple suddenly fell from a tree and hit her on her head. She then looked around before shrugging as she saw the shiny red apple and decided to take it with her. She heard that teachers liked apples and just thought she would do it for Ms. Blanchard for the heck of it. Ben smiled as he took Clarice's hand and went to walk with her.

"Who's that?" Clarice asked as she noticed Mal.

"Clarice, this is Mal," Ben introduced. "She's a new girl in my grade. Mal, this is my little princess of a little sister, Clarice."

"Um... Hey, there." Mal smiled bashfully, trying to be polite and sociable.

"How come you have purple hair?" Clarice then asked, tilting her head.

"It looks cool..." Mal shrugged in defense.

"Heh... Sorry about that," Ben chuckled. "Clarice, you can't just ask someone that."

"Oh... Sorry..." Clarice said softly.

"No, no, it's okay, really," Mal reassured. "I just like the color purple. It suits me."

"Yeah, more than blue," Ben nodded as he had to agree. "Or yellow for that matter."

"Eugh," Mal wrinkled her nose. "I just hate the color yellow."

"Mama says we aren't allowed to hate." Clarice pouted.

"Oh... Okay then..." Mal shrugged, not really sure how to react to that.

Ben did his best to be patient with Mal as brought Clarice over to her class. Mal took a deep breath as they were on their way into the younger level hallway for the little students just below the older students who were teenagers. She expected there to be a lot of screaming, paint-splattered everywhere, whining and crying brats, and just chaos all around. However, it seemed to be a lot like the bigger level of school, just slightly smaller in frame which made her feel like a giant. Ms. Blanchard smiled warmly as she stood beside her door and waved over at the two teenagers.

"Hey, Ms. Blanchard, I've got one of your favorite students here ready to learn." Ben announced proudly.

"That's odd, Henry's been in class ever since Evie dropped him off a few minutes ago." Ms. Blanchard smiled playfully.

'Ugh... Teacher humor...' Mal thought to herself as she rolled her eyes as Ben chuckled to humor the schoolteacher.

"You're silly sometimes, Ms. Blanchard." Clarice giggled to her teacher.

"Sometimes, yes," Ms. Blanchard smiled warmly. "Go on inside, dear. Class will be starting very soon."

"Bye, Benny~" Clarice cooed as she hugged her big brother's legs.

"All right, Clarice," Ben smiled as he knelt down to hug her back. "I gotta go learn stuff with the other big kids. Can I have a kiss for good luck?"

Clarice then stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

"All right, Clarice, thank you!" Ben smiled. "I'll see you after school, okay?"

"Okay, Benny!" Clarice beamed as she hugged him one last time and soon dashed off into her respective classroom for the school day.

"Such a sweet little sister you have, Ben," Ms. Blanchard smiled warmly before looking over to see Mal. "Oh. Is this your new friend?"

"Uh, yeah," Ben nodded. "Mal's here. She moved here from-"

"It's a long story," Mal interrupted suddenly and bashfully before she soon took out her red apple. "You seem like a cool teacher."

Ms. Blanchard flinched from the red apple.

"...What's wrong?" Mal asked. "Don't like apples? I thought all teachers liked apples."

"Heh... That's a bit of a stereotype, dear," Ms. Blanchard chuckled bashfully. "I'm more of a pear person honestly."

"...Oh," Mal said then as she chucked the apple away which suddenly hit Audrey in the back of her head without anyone noticing except for the brunette girl. "Sorry about that, Ms. ...Bianca?"

" _Blan_ -Chard," The woman enunciated so that Mal would know how to say her name from now on. "It's all right, dear. Your intentions were good at least."

"Yeah... I guess so..." Mal nodded.

"Ben... Are you two going out?" Ms. Blanchard whispered to Ben. "I heard about your nasty break-up with Audrey Thornley."

"I don't know, Ms. Blanchard, but I'm kinda hoping so," Ben whispered back as he suddenly began to blush. "I'm gonna see what I can do for maybe free period today."

"Good luck," Ms. Blanchard advised. "She shall become the fairest of them all to your heart and you can swoop in and be her Prince Charming."

Ben smiled bashfully before nodding, appreciating her advice. He feared and dreaded about getting advice from his mother because she would probably just gush and slobber over the whole deal, especially with her "little boy growing up so fast".

"Well, your classroom seems nice," Mal said as she crossed her arms. "I wish I could trade places with these kiddies for the day and take a nap for them."

"I don't teach Kindergarten, but I know what you mean," Ms. Blanchard smirked. "You kids are always in such a hurry to grow up and then you feel like your whole life has gone by."

"Yeah, we know, Ms. Blanchard," Ben nodded. "Enjoy being a kid while you still can. That reminds me, our next game before the big one against Sherwood is against James Barrie's School for Boys," he then added. "Are you going to come to the game?"

"I might," Ms. Blanchard replied. "You be careful against those boys. They can be rather tricky sometimes."

"Believe me, I know." Ben nodded.

And then suddenly, the five minute warning bell rang.

"Well, I have a class to teach," Ms. Blanchard smiled at Mal and Ben. "Thank you so much for stopping by. I really appreciate it."

"Thanks for letting us," Ben smiled back. "Anything for my favorite fourth-grade teacher."

"I was your _only_ fourth-grade teacher." Ms. Blanchard smirked.

"Makes it easy to pick my favorite, doesn't it?" Ben teased then.

"Very funny," Ms. Blanchard smirked as she decided to tease him back. "Now, shoo. I strongly dislike teenagers~"

"Yes, Ms. Blanchard." Ben rolled his eyes before chuckling as he and Mal went to go back upstairs to the higher floor of the school to get to their respective classes.

"Well, you two certainly seem close." Mal commented as she walked beside Ben.

"Yeah, Ms. Blanchard's pretty sweet," Ben nodded. "She loves animals, sings to them sometimes, and really made us fourth grade kids feel loved and full of hope. Henry sure is lucky to have him as his teacher right now."

"Wish I coulda had someone like that at my old school back then," Mal shrugged as they walked together. "Though I was pretty close with my fair share of friends."

"Yeah?" Ben asked curiously. "Like who?"

Mal glanced back at him before shrugging as they walked along together. "Well, there was one girl named Maddy I was really close with. We got into a lot of trouble together and were even seen by others as sisters sometimes." she then began to explain.

"Maddy, huh?" Ben asked. "It's nice to have friends who feel like family, isn't it, Mal?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," Mal nodded. "Sometimes we called her 'Mad Maddy', though you knew she was in trouble with her grandmother or someone else if they called out for 'Madison Miriam'~" she then smirked with slight nostalgia of being a troublemaker back home.

Ben smiled warmly as he kept Mal company as they bonded together. He was having a lot of fun with her so far and decided to spend the day trying to get to know her better today. Eventually, they met up in front of the gym.

"Well, I gotta head to Gym Class so Coach Jenkins doesn't chew my head off," Ben told Mal. "Good luck with Mrs. Belfrey."

"Oh, you mean The Dragon Lady?" Mal rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna need it."

"Oh, uh, Mal, if you want, maybe we could grab lunch together today?" Ben invited before blushing. "I-I mean... If you want to."

"Yeah, I guess," Mal shrugged. "I'll probably have to talk that over with Evie, Jay, and Carlos first though. We seem to be making our own little team and Evie's little brother Henry too."

"Yeah, Henry's a good kid," Ben smiled. "I like having a little sister and all, but sometimes I wish I had a little brother, especially for solo football practice at the house with the 'rents."

"...'Rents?" Mal raised an eyebrow before smirking. "Never knew you were so street, Benny~"

"Hey, now, only my mother and sister can call me Benny," Ben chuckled warmly. "Though it sounds nice when you say it."

Mal just shrugged, rubbing her arm as she glanced away bashfully. "So you say," she then said before looking back. "My dad used to call me 'Mally'."

"Mally... It sounds cute..." Ben remarked before his eyes widened. "Uh! Not that I'm saying you're cute... I mean, you are rather pretty... Almost like a cheerleader. I-I mean-" he then stammered nervously.

"Eugh... I don't think I'd ever be a cheerleader," Mal grimaced and shuddered. "That's really not my style."

"Right..." Ben nodded. "You don't have to be though. You'd have to put up with Audrey all the time since she's the head cheerleader."

"Ooh, then I'm definitely glad I'm not a cheerleader and going to big sports games and crap like that." Mal smirked.

"Uh... Right..." Ben chuckled sheepishly. "You could probably come to a game though if you wanted. Our next game is against The Pirates and before the semester ends, we're going up against The Foxes."

"Pirates?" Mal asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Ben nodded. "The team from The James Barrie School for Boys."

"Good to know." Mal then said.

Ben smiled at her hopefully while she gave a half-smile/half-smirk back at him. Eventually, the bell for class rang, making Mal late for her homeroom course.

"Shit!" Mal cursed in frustration. "Now that Dragon Lady is gonna make sure I get another detention."

Ben looked over as he was right at the Gym. Sure, he would have to do an extra set of push-ups for being late to class, then saw the disappointment in Mal's eyes. Detention for one day was bad enough already, but twice in the same month that was her first time in this school? That sounded a bit too much and unfair, so he decided to be a gentleman in this situation.

"I'll walk you to class, Mal." Ben decided.

"Huh?" Mal blinked as she looked back at him. "What did you say?"

"Let me walk you to class," Ben repeated with a small, but firm smile. "I insist."

"But won't you get detention or something for being late to class?" Mal asked in concern.

"Coach Jenkins thinks getting extra push-ups is punishment enough than spending an extra hour in school," Ben said as he offered her his arm, remembering seeing his father and uncle doing that for his mother and aunt several times to appear debonair. "Now come on. I won't let you get detention twice in the same month."

"Wow... Thanks, Ben..." Mal said softly, feeling touched.

Ben smiled and nodded as he gestured to his arm then. Mal glanced over, not sure what Ben wanted to do with his arm, but soon slid her arm in through his so that they could link together. Ben smiled and soon walked off with Mal down the hallway to get to Mrs. Belfrey's classroom and soon took Mal over to the door. Ben then knocked on the door as it was shut and most likely locked.

* * *

After a few moments, Mrs. Belfrey came at the door and narrowed her eyes once she saw the dark-haired girl. "Miss Ignus, you are sadly tardy to my class," she then glared. "I hope you had better have a good excuse."

"I... I... I, uh..." Mal stammered, not sure what to say as she felt frozen on the spot like the older woman's gray eyes pinned her on the spot.

"I'm waiting~..." Mrs. Belfrey hissed firmly, nearly seething through her teeth which Mal could had sworn looked like vampire or monster fangs with how wicked and witchy the woman seemed when she was unhappy, which was often, especially around Tilly.

"Erm... I..." Mal continued to stammer.

"She got lost and forgot where to go, Mrs. Belfrey," Ben spoke up once he sensed and felt Mal's fear. "I was on my way to the gym and I saw her struggle, so I thought I'd help her out a little. I'm sure that it won't happen again, Mrs. Belfrey."

"Hmm... All right then, Mr. French." Mrs. Belfrey soon said, sounding just barely calmer now.

"After all, she is still new to our school and can't be expected to know where to go all the time, Mrs. Belfrey," Ben continued calmly. "I'm sure that it won't happen again."

"Yes, it won't happen again." Mal quickly added.

"Yes, it won't happen again, what?" Mrs. Belfrey prompted, nearly acidically.

"Yes, it won't happen again, Mrs. Belfrey." Mal then corrected herself while she still had the chance.

"Very well then," Mrs. Belfrey nodded sharply. "You had better come inside this instant, Miss Ignus, and you better run off to class, Mr. French."

"Yes, Mrs. Belfrey." Both teenagers obeyed and nodded like they had no other free will or choice away from her hardnosed temperament.

Mrs. Belfrey nodded and soon let Mal come inside the classroom and go to her usual spot around Evie, Jay, and Carlos as Ben dashed off to his Gym Class, though not running. As everybody knew that running in the halls was a huge no-no no matter how old you were in school. The others, minus Tilly, looked very shocked and amazed that Mal wasn't given a detention from Mrs. Belfrey, but decided not to pay attention to it for too long, otherwise they would probably end up getting assigned the punishment themselves. Tilly still didn't seem to care though as sleeping for an extra hour after getting out of bed and coming into school was more important to her than anything else.

"Miss Hightopp, I suggest you stop sleeping in class, otherwise I might see in that desk again next year or even during summer break." Mrs. Belfrey suggested firmly.

"Yeah, I've 'eard that one before," Tilly chuckled and smirked impishly as she seemed to be the only one not afraid of Mrs. Belfrey. "You're just like the rest of 'em... Gettin' me to take my Adderall, makin' me sittin' still, hittin' me with a ruler if I have a good laugh in class. We're all mad here and this is all just one big story and none of this is even real~"

"God, she's bonkers." Mal whispered to herself.

"Some of the best people _are_ ~" Tilly smirked towards Mal then.

Mrs. Belfrey just narrowed her eyes towards Tilly, though that did get chills down the girl's spine. Only a little bit though, almost like she had seen worse. Mal had thought she did too, especially with how her mother could be sometimes and some of the teachers she had in her old school and nearly got punished every day after she started to idolize Lily's footloose and fancy-free behavior.

* * *

"You're late, Ben, so you know what that means." Coach Jenkins said sharply as the brunette boy finally showed up to class as everyone else was in their respective positions.

"Yes, Coach Jenkins..." Ben sighed as he tried not to roll his eyes as he soon fell to the floor and began to do the required set of push-ups as penace for being tardy to Gym Class.

"I just hope you remember to save that energy for the big game against those pirates," Coach Jenkins said as he soon went to take care of the rest of the class. "We wouldn't want you to be too tired to face them."

"No, sir, I'm sure that won't happen." Ben reassured.

"See that it doesn't." Coach Jenkins replied.

Eventually, class began and Ben and Lonnie paired up together for warm-ups. Ben did his sit-ups while Lonnie knelt in front of him and held down his feet.

"So, did you get to talk to the new girl?" Lonnie asked Ben.

"She has a name, Lonnie." Ben reminded his best girl friend.

"Yeah, I know," Lonnie smirked. "So... Is that a yes or no?"

Ben rolled his eyes a bit before he smirked back at her. "Yeah, we talked for a little bit," he then admitted through grunts as he went up and down as Coach Jenkins walked by, monitoring the students as he wrote on his clipboard. "We don't know too much about each other yet, but I invited her to spend lunch with me today."

"Was she up for it?" Lonnie asked.

"She said as long as she ran it by Evie, Henry, Jay, and Carlos first," Ben nodded. "That might be my big chance to get to know her better."

"Well, I guess we can hope for your sake that it turns out alright," Lonnie remarked. "I'm trying my hard to get a guy to notice me too. My dad told my brother though to find a girl worth fighting for."

"Yeah, that sounds like your dad to me," Ben chuckled. "Don't worry, Lonnie. I'm sure you can impress your own Prince Charming someday."

"I sure hope so~" Lonnie smirked, getting a bit girly, though not too girly as she was determined to be mostly a tomboy, though after entering 9th grade, she felt a bit more in touch with her feminine side lately. "I also think something might happen for you and Mal a lot sooner than you think."

"Thanks, Lonnie," Ben smiled. "I also told her about our game against The Barrie Pirates, so maybe hopefully she'll show up."

"I hope she does too," Lonnie smiled back before smirking. "Seeing her man in action... That's gonna be awesome~"

Ben rolled his eyes before chuckling.

Scarlet glanced over from where she was, narrowing her eyes, but smirking. "Hmm... Interesting~" she then said to herself as the gears in her head started turning as she looked hopeful and excited about something.


	12. Chapter 12

"So Ben _is_ interested in that new emo girl?" Audrey asked firmly as she sat in her desk in her current class.

"I heard and saw it with my own ears and eyes," Scarlet nodded sincerely. "Ben and Mal are probably going to be an item before this semester ends."

Audrey snarled. "Everybody knows you can't date the ex-boyfriend of the most popular girl in school," she then seethed. "Doesn't this Mal realize that?"

"She obviously doesn't, Audrey," Ivy shook her head. "She's as socially dense as my geeky little sister."

"What're you going to do, Audrey?" Coraline asked.

"...Nothing." Audrey simply said.

" _Nothing_?!" The three other girls yelped.

"Nothing." Audrey smirked as she leaned back into her chair, putting her feet up and over on her desk, putting her hands behind her head.

"Audrey, you usually have something sneaky and schemey right about now," Ivy replied, almost sounding disappointed in her friend. "We might as well hang out with Scarlet again. At least she got the dish on Mal and Ben and Ben's your ex-boyfriend."

"Don't you get it?" Audrey smirked. "When do the best villains strike in these dopey and lame plays that Old Man Hyde makes us read? When you least expect it."

"So... You're coming up with a plan and it'll come into action later?" Ivy guessed, trying to understand.

"Exactly!" Audrey nodded, keeping her smirk. "Sure, I might not be doing anything right now, but these school walls are thin, especially when it comes to rumors and juicy gossip. Don't you guys remember how we got Claudine Frollo busted by her dad when she released those frogs from The Biology Lab when we were supposed to dissect them next week and we told him about it?"

"Ohh..." The three girls nodded and had fiendish smirks on their faces.

"Too bad that couldn't get that creepy Frollo girl expelled," Ivy scoffed. "She claims to have magical and supernatural powers, but the only thing she's powerful at is being a freak."

" _Creep_ ine _Freak_ -o," Scarlet chuckled darkly. "I remember you came up with that name in the girls' bathroom and by lunchtime the next day, everybody was saying it."

"Exactly," Audrey grinned maliciously as she rested her hands underneath her chin as she sat up then. "Just leave it all to me... Nothing shall stop me~"

Eventually, the class bell rang and the girls stood up and went to leave their desks with the other students to get out of their Advanced English Class.

"Just a moment, Miss Thornley..." The teacher called, making the girl freeze on the spot with his low, grave, and chilling voice that could frighten any student.

"...Yes, what is it?" Audrey asked, a bit annoyed as she promised to start plotting right after class, but was being held up in class.

"Mr. Hyde, whatever it is, Audrey is, like, super busy right now." Ivy said as she came beside the brunette girl.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want her to miss her next class, would you?" Coraline added.

"Oh, I, like, totally wouldn't want that." Mr. Hyde replied, rolling his red-brown eyes as he seemed to agree with the girls so far.

"Right, so we're gonna get going and we'll see you tomorrow." Scarlet said, going to lead Audrey out the door.

"Not so fast, my dears~" Mr. Hyde smirked darkly, scaring them instantly, especially with how strict and direct he was compared to most teachers, almost like a male Mrs. Belfrey. "I need to speak with Miss Thornley. The rest of you go off to class, this is between me and Miss Thornley~"

"Okay!" Scarlet nearly squeaked. "See ya, Audrey, we gotta go!"

"Good luck!" Coraline and Ivy added before bolting off suddenly with Scarlet.

"Cowards..." Audrey grumbled before she sighed and turned around with a forced polite smile on her face. "Yes, Mr. Hyde, sir, what is it? By the way... You look so handsome today~... I think I have a crush on you~"

"Well, I'm flattered, but very much disinterested." Mr. Hyde smirked, not buying into her kissing up as he knew she was just saying that to soften the blow and trouble she was about to get into.

Audrey had a small pout of defeat.

"You were 25 minutes late to class today," Mr. Hyde told Audrey. "What possible excuse could you have?"

"Ugh... I had a make-up appointment, okay?" Audrey rolled her eyes. "I just ran out of Simba Sunrise lip balm and I had to find a better shade. I know how to accessorize, ya know. I'm sure you totally understand 'cuz you're so smart and awesome, right?" she then smirked boastfully.

"And yet you thought it would be okay if you were late to class to put make-up before your studies." Mr. Hyde then said.

"Yes!" Audrey nodded. "Presentation is everything. So can I go now?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Thornley, but you're going to have to do extra homework tonight." Mr. Hyde narrowed his eyes sharply.

Audrey let out a startled yelp. "But... But... But... But..." she then stammered.

"No butts except for yours in the desk right in front of me; I'll write you an excuse note for your next class." Mr. Hyde smirked.

Audrey groaned as she soon dumped her backpack down in the desk in front of her and then sat down against her will.

"You waste my time waiting for you, I'll waste yours making you wait right here," Mr. Hyde replied. "Now then, I want you to copy this information down to teach you for being late to class without a valid excuse."

"B-But... I..." Audrey stammered shakily.

"I'm sure you _totally_ understand." Mr. Hyde smirked as he stood up, approaching his board with a piece of chalk.

"...Right." Audrey grumbled as she soon took out a pencil to do as he asked, feeling like a prisoner right about now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mal was in her current class with the boys. She luckily warmed up to them a bit more, but she still missed being able to talk with Evie. The two felt very close and comfortable with each other, almost like sisters.

"So Ben invited me to have lunch with him today," Mal said before shrugging. "I know you guys don't know much about girls going out to lunch with guys, but what do you think? Is it a good idea?"

"I'd go for it, especially if Ben's paying for lunch," Jay chuckled as he crossed his arms. "His parents are loaded, especially his uncle having a better shop than my old man."

Carlos rolled his eyes slightly.

"So I should go for it?" Mal then asked.

"You might as well since he invited you," Carlos smiled. "Ben's a pretty nice guy even though he's super popular and rich compared to a lot of us."

"Well, yeah, he doesn't seem like a snob," Mal had to admit. "I'm just not sure what we could talk about or do."

"I'm sure you'll think about something as long as you don't talk about cramps or chocolate," Jay rolled his eyes. "You girls tend to yak about your feelings a lot."

"Jay!" Carlos glared.

"What?" Jay shrugged in defense.

"You must make your girlfriend really proud, Jay." Mal rolled her eyes in deadpan.

"Ha! Joke's on you, I don't have a girlfriend!" Jay smirked before he paused briefly. "...Wait."

Carlos just groaned and face-palmed. "I'm so sorry about him, Mal," he then said. "How is it that I skipped a couple of grades and yet I'm more mature?"

"Well, they say girls mature faster than boys, but I don't know what's your excuse," Mal smirked slightly. "Say, Carlos, aren't your parents rich too?"

"My new uncle is rich, my mom was born rich, but she lost her inheritance after a family reunion went wrong," Carlos shrugged. "I don't care much about riches honestly. I think I wanna be a vet someday or something like that."

"Hmm... Yeah..." Mal nodded. "I've seen you be good with a lot of animals, especially a dog who keeps wandering around campus."

"Yeah, no one knows where he came from or why he keeps coming back, but I kinda like him," Carlos smiled before groaning. "I'd adopt him, but my mother probably thinks he's just a pile of riffraff."

"Your mom sounds like a nightmare." Mal muttered.

"Trust me, she is..." Carlos sulked. "Uh, let's move on to other topics... What should we use for our group project?"

"Augh... I kinda liked what we were talking about already," Jay groaned as he sank in his desk. "Can't we keep talking about girls and rich boys?"

"Oh, Jay... What am I going to do with you?" Carlos sighed and shook his head.

"I dunno," Jay shrugged with a small smirk. "Keep me?"

Mal and Carlos just rolled their eyes together in mild annoyance.

"Just remember to do your part in the project and don't rely on just us to get an A on your report card, Jay." Carlos reminded.

"Yeah, Jay, don't just rely on Carlos to get you an A on your report card." Mal added with a smirk.

"Yeah!" Carlos nodded before he realized what Mal said and then pouted. "Hey..."

"Just having some fun, Carlos, no harm done," Mal chuckled innocently and ruffled up his monochrome hair. "You know I care about you like a little brother."

"Yeah, whatever." Carlos rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms.

"All right, all right, I'll help you guys out," Jay chuckled as he soon sat up again. "So stop spreading gossip like a hen, Mal. That way, we can do our project."

"Hm..." Mal just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Men."

"Yeah, we can be so fickle sometimes," Carlos scoffed. "Sorry about that, Mal."

"It's fine," Mal replied. "And my mom thought my dad was immature and needed to grow up."

"Daddy issues?" Carlos guessed.

"More or less," Mal shrugged. "It's kind of a long story. I don't feel like talking about it much."

"Great. We don't wanna hear it." Jay replied nonchalantly.

"Jay..." Carlos sighed and shook his head. "Well, Mal, at least you know your dad and he stuck around."

"Oh... Carlos... I'm sorry..." Mal said softly as that struck her deep down inside. "You never knew your dad?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Carlos replied. "My mom's been with so many men, but none of them were my father. She just calls them my uncles, but they never last long. It's been that way for as long as I can remember."

Mal frowned softly.

"...Oookay, anyone wanna change the subject?" Jay suggested softly.

"Fine," Mal replied. "So, I guess lunch with Ben is going to be adventurous. I'll let you guys know how it goes."

"Sounds good," Carlos smiled. "I don't think you have much to worry about. He's a pretty cool and nice boy."

"In my old neighborhood, we'd probably just beat him up, take his clothes, and tie him up to a basketball hoop or something." Mal remarked.

"Heh... I kinda like this old neighborhood of yours," Jay smirked, chuckling a bit. "I think we'd get along nicely down there."

"Sure, Jay..." Mal smirked back a bit.

The discussion went on for a bit before they switched to the topic they were required to discuss which was their assignment from Ms. Porter. However, the talking among students was cut short as they suddenly heard some beeping in the air which soon meant that they were going to be given a school-wide announcement from their headmistress.

 _ **"Attention, my little dears, attention~..."**_ Headmistress Fairgood's voice rang, sounding like a songbird in the morning, tweeting the day away.

"What does she want?" Mal muttered to herself.

"Mm-mm..." Jay and Carlos just shrugged in response.

 ** _"At 1:00, there will be a teacher's meeting, so after lunch hour, you will all be dismissed and sent home early today,"_ **Headmistress Fairgood soon stated. **_"Now I know you'll all be sad about missing the rest of your school day, but don't worry! You can always finish up your classes tomorrow... I hope you all understand... That is all for now, my dears. Have a wonderful rest of your morning!"_** she then signed off.

The classroom blinked for a few minutes and soon, the classroom erupted into cheerful excitement about going home early today.

"A half-day... Not bad," Mal smirked as she crossed her arms before pausing thoughtfully. "Hm... I wonder if I'll still have lunch with Ben?"

"I'm sure you will," Jay reassured. "No need to worry, Your Royal Purpleness~"

"Your Royal Purpleness?" Mal deadpanned slightly.

"Well, yeah," Jay chuckled. "You're going to lunch with The King of School. You might as well become the new Queen of School. Eat your heart out, Audrey Thornley~"

"Shh... Be careful," Carlos shushed urgently with his own chuckle. "If you say her name too many times, she'll pop out of nowhere and make your life a living Hell."

Jay and Carlos soon chuckled.

"It's just lunch, guys," Mal smirked a bit. "It's not like he's gonna ask me to marry him or something."

"Ooh, imagine if he proposed right after the big game?" Jay smirked at Carlos. "That'd be the scoop of the school semester alright."

"Everybody would be talking about it at the big school reunion in 10 years." Carlos chuckled.

"Ugh..." Mal groaned and rolled her eyes before face-planting against her desk. "Boys..."

"Some grow up and some don't." Carlos added, looking snarky towards Jay as he seemed to be the most mature student in the high school hallway despite being two years younger than the others.

"I think a lot of mothers would agree with you on that statement." Mal remarked.

Carlos and Mal soon both chuckled as Jay gave them a look, but he didn't say anything.

* * *

Some time had passed as Ben was feeling slightly better than he was before, especially when he talked with Dr. Hopper. He was mostly looking forward to lunch today and eating with Mal, hoping it would work out. Especially since today was a half-day, he decided to take her to a special spot for just the two of them. He heard that his father did this for his mother on one of their first dates and even though it was very old-fashioned, he just hoped that Mal would appreciate it for when the time would come. He was looking forward to it a lot more since it was a half-day of school and they wouldn't have to head back to classes too soon as he wanted to spend as much time as he could with her as he had a good feeling about her.

"Hello, Mal," Ben smiled warmly as the girl came to meet him in the hallway as promised. "I hope you're good to go for lunch. I just have to make a quick stop at my house first. Maybe I could pick you up in my uncle's car and you could get some stuff from your house and get out of that boring uniform?" he then suggested, adding a bit, trying to make a joke.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," Mal replied before nodding. "I guess this uniform's not really date attire, huh?"

"Heh... Date..." Ben chuckled bashfully. "I guess you could say that~"

"I hope that that's not too forward," Mal said with a small smirk. "I'll head back home. I don't know if my mom's even home, but either way, I should be fine."

"Could I have your address then?" Ben asked. "So we know where to come get you?"

"All right, sure," Mal nodded. "Besides, you have a little sister, right?"

"Yeah, I should make sure she makes it back at the house safely," Ben agreed. "Thanks for understanding."

"No problem," Mal said softly. "Your sister must be lucky to have a cool big brother like you."

"I feel like the lucky one sometimes." Ben smiled warmly.

The two chuckled together before they soon split up, walking away from each other. Mal decided to not let Audrey said get to her about staying away from Ben, besides, what could possibly go wrong? Ben began to feel the same way as they soon split up to go to their respective homes. Audrey glowered from where she stood in the hallway and soon walked off into the shadows, like a mysterious and ominous villain and was luckily undetected by the two of them. Mal soon found herself facing a problem though... What was she going to wear and what was she going to do about her make-up? Definitely not tell her mother though...

* * *

"Looks like you passed Dr. Jekyll's science test," Evie smiled as she stood beside Henry. "Just wait 'til you're my age and Mr. Deley makes you find the atomic mass in something with both Math _and_ Science."

"Yeesh... Talk about overkill," Henry replied as he looked at his test papers which had an A on it. "You think Mom will put it on the fridge?"

"I'm sure that she will," Evie smiled before hugging him and giving him a sisterly kiss on the cheek. "Mwah! Ooh, my baby brother is so smart~"

Henry smiled back, though looked a bit bashful and sheepish from the kissing, but wasn't deathly embarrassed like many kids would be in his age or position.

"I told you, I'm more than just a pretty face." Evie smiled warmly at Henry.

"A shocker, huh?" Henry chuckled.

"You're gonna do just fine," Evie smiled before firmly pouting and shaking her head. "Even if Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Deley are just very strict science teachers on us students~"

"Tell me about it," Henry pouted and nodded in agreement. "I wish Ms. Blanchard could teach science like she teaches us everything else. We're probably gonna make birdhouses in the Springtime."

"That'll be fun," Evie smiled. "If you need help, just remember to ask your favorite big sister for help."

Mal was soon wandering around and looked a bit frustrated once she caught up and saw her best friend in school. "There you are! I have been looking for you literally everywhere!" she then told Evie.

"What's up?" Evie asked.

"Are you forgetting?" Mal reminded. "I have a lunch date with Ben today and he wants to take me out because we have a half-day today."

"Nice." Henry commented.

"So what's the problem?" Evie asked Mal.

Mal bit her lip. "...Can you do my make-up and help me pick out what to wear?" she then asked nervously.

"Do you wanna come to my house?" Evie then asked.

"He's gonna pick me up at my house," Mal replied. "I don't suppose you could come meet me there?"

"Let me make sure Mom comes to pick up Henry," Evie suggested. "I have to make sure he gets home safely and I can't leave him out here on his own unless there's a major school emergency."

"...Well, I can wait," Mal shrugged. "Just please hurry up. I don't know how long Ben will be in getting ready and coming over."

"All right, I'll just tell Mom to let me go home with you and once we're through together, Ben won't be able to keep his hands off of you." Evie soon said with a small, reassuring smile.

Mal smiled back a little shyly.

"Girls..." Henry rolled his eyes. "I don't understand them sometimes."

"Oh, come on, Henry," Mal smirked a little. "Isn't there a girl in your class that you like?"

"Mm-mm," Henry shook his head. "I'm too young to be engaged in a fully-committed relationship for I am vastly immature for such social rituals."

Mal and Evie blinked at each other, glancing at the strange use of Henry's wording.

"In other words: I don't think any girl likes me and I don't like any much and they don't really hang out or talk to me," Henry shrugged. "I don't really have any friends."

"No friends?" Mal asked. "Come on, kid, there's gotta be someone you hang out with."

"Well... I once tried to hang around the Zimmer twins," Henry shrugged. "I recognized them from school, but I didn't fully know them when we ran into each other at The Dark Star Pharmacy. Turns out they were just sneaking Wonka and Apollo bars in my bag so that they could get away with stealing and Mr. Clark, the owner, called Mom. Luckily I wasn't in trouble, but Nicholas and Ava were given a serious talking to afterward."

"Don't worry, Henry," Evie coaxed to her little brother as Regina's car began to pull up. "You'll make some new friends soon enough. Just like I'll have a boyfriend someday."

"Until then Henry... I will be your friend." Mal offered.

Evie smiled warmly as she appreciated and admired that.

"No, that's okay, I know it'd be uncool if someone your age called someone my age a friend," Henry said softly. "I'll be okay, Mal. Really."

Mal frowned softly, but patted him on the head and he soon went over to the backseat of the car.

"Mom, I'm going to go Mal's house for a quick min-" Evie began to say before looking to see who was driving. "Oh... Uh... Hello, Graham."

Mal glanced over as she felt something odd as Evie addressed the man in the car.

"Your mother had an urgent meeting with Mr. Glass and asked me to come pick you and Henry up from school and maybe see about your dinner," Graham replied. "Is Mal going to come over with you?"

"Actually I was wondering if I could go to Mal's place after school," Evie explained. "It's a make-up and fashion emergency."

"Ohh, I see," Graham nodded. "Well, in that case, you girls better stick together then."

* * *

Eventually, the two teenage girls got into the car and drove off together as Ben was leaving the school with Clarice. In no time at all, a black 1990 Cadillac Brougham pulled up right beside them and the car window rolled down to show a man with shoulder-length graying brown hair, wearing sunglasses and grasping the steering wheel firmly as he eyed the two French siblings.

"H-H-Hey, Uncle Cedric..." Ben greeted bashfully and nervously, trying to smile politely. "H-Have a nice drive on the way to Auradon Heights?"

"I most certainly did, Benjamin," The man nodded with a small, toothy smirk forming on his face. "Shall I take you and your sister back home so you can enjoy your little vacation outside of afternoon school hours?"

"Erm... Yes!" Ben gulped and squeaked in tone a little bit before clearing his throat. "Y-Yes, sir... Also, I might need to ask you to drop me off somewhere when we get back home so I can get ready. I-I kinda promised this girl from school a lunch date."

"Ohh... A girl~..." Ben's uncle grinned and nodded. "Well, hop in and strap in your sister and I'll drive off real smoothly~"

Ben nodded and soon went to help Clarice into her seat and shook some chills down his spine. He just always felt so scared and nervous around his uncle as he was quite stern and had strict rules for whenever Belle and Adam had to go out of town for any reason, though luckily, Aunt Lacey usually managed to break him out of a sourpuss mood if he was lucky and make the visit more fun and exciting than having harsher and colder rules than his parents would give him and Clarice. Ben always thought maybe he was born with a stick up his bottom, but of course, he would never say that out loud, especially around Clarice because then he was sure he would end up in military school at his uncle's request in a second's notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little shout-out to my boyfriend Sonic Thunder Saiyan Turtle for thinking of Mr. Gold's first name being Cedric.


	13. Chapter 13

"So, tell me, Benjamin," Gold said as he continued to drive his niece and nephew back home. "I hear you have a lunch date today."

"Uh, y-yeah," Ben nodded. "Her name is Mal and she's new in my school. I just thought I'd try to get to know her better. Spice up my life a little with someone new and exciting."

"I see," Gold replied then. "Well, maybe I could help you out with that."

"Uh..." Ben's hazel eyes widened as he stammered awkwardly.

"Oh, come along now," Gold smirked as he glanced over at him, though mostly kept his eyes on the road so there wouldn't be a crash. "You don't think that I'm a vampire and I just hypnotized your Aunt Lacey into liking me and marrying me, do you?"

"...Actually, now that you mention it." Ben began to say with a small smirk.

"Benny!~" Clarice called out and giggled, finding her big brother funny at that moment.

Ben chuckled a bit.

"Take a seat, my boy," Gold suggested as he continued to drive his Cadillac. "Your favorite uncle's going to teach you how to woo this young lady of interest~"

"Augh..." Ben groaned and grimaced as that sounded so gross and awkward the way it was said. He could tell that this was going to be a long ride back home.

Lacey smiled as she sat on the front porch of the house while watching Gideon as he played on the floor with his toys. She then looked up and waved once she saw her husband coming with Ben and Clarice in the car and they went to chat for a moment or two before Ben would be given some advice on what to do and how to act on his first lunch date with Mal. Hopefully the first of many in the near future.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mal was in her bedroom and had Evie there with her. The two girls were looking at each other, though Evie was giving a more critical and thoughtful look as she was trying to work and had to plan out what to do. She couldn't just put make-up on Mal willy-nilly, it had to come naturally and come out as a good and decent job. Hopefully it would be done fast and soon, because who knew when Ben was going to come back? Mal was currently wearing a black leather jacket with a cute purple top and black jeans and stylish black boots and wearing a golden necklace around her neck with a charm that resembled a dragon.

"Are you going to do something or am I just going to sit here?" Mal complained.

"Shh," Evie shushed. "I need to concentrate. This is an art, you know."

Mal rolled her eyes a bit as she sat on her bed, trying to be patient as she hugged her stuffed, purple-colored dragon toy in her arms.

"You do look pretty pale..." Evie had to admit.

"Thanks, Evie." Mal rolled her eyes again.

Evie soon gasped once she had a vision and soon had Mal sit down right where she was and soon sat right next to her friend and began to do the make-up job. It took quite a while, but soon, Evie was letting her vision come to life and gave Mal her special touch of make-up.

"Okay. Easy on the blush. I don't want to scare him away..." Mal advised the young fashionista as the make-up process seemed to take longer than she believed it would be. "Not that I could."

"Please. I learned how to apply blush before I could talk," Evie smiled as she brushed Mal's cheeks a bit. "Always use upward strokes. I also saw that on Miss Ruby Red's fashion blog."

"Ruby?" Mal asked.

"Not Ruby Lucas from school or Goldie's friend, Miss Ruby Red is a world-famous performer and 'queen' if you know what I mean," Evie smiled as she continued to do her work. "I wish I could be just like her someday."

"My mom was never really big on make-up tips," Mal said softly then before mumbling the second part. "Neither was my sister."

Evie thought maybe she heard something about a sister, but then decided to change the subject, though something to fit the mood. "I've always wanted a sister," she then said. "Plus Mom said that putting Henry in a dress and make-up got old after he started Kindergarten."

"You did not put make-up and dresses on your little brother." Mal smirked slyly.

"I did for a while anyway," Evie chuckled. "Though that was mostly because I didn't like him very much. Mom wasn't even sure if she could take care of him properly because he kept crying, especially after he came back home. Ruined my beauty sleep and I could barely even talk to her..." she then sighed softly as she thought about the first time Henry came back home to them.

* * *

_It was 10 years ago... Evie was much, much younger and she was at home, reading a book to herself. She then looked over and sat up on the couch as the door opened and Regina was coming by with a bundle in her arms which was obviously Henry._

_"Mommy?" Evie asked as she looked up._

_"Evie... This is your new baby brother, Henry," Regina told her daughter as she bent down slightly to let Evie get a good look at her new brother. "Henry... This is Evie~..."_

_Evie soon looked down to see the baby boy in her mother's arms. He had short dark brown hair and light brown eyes. She then wrinkled her nose, looking a bit annoyed and disgusted. "...Can we send him back?" she then asked._

_"Evie!" Regina scolded with a small frown._

_"Couldn't I have had a baby sister instead?" Evie asked._

_"I'm sorry, Evie, but these things happen," Regina told her daughter. "I'm sure you two will learn to love each other. Now hold out your arms and I can teach you how to hold your baby brother."_

_"He stinks." Evie frowned and crossed her arms._

_"Evie!" Regina scolded._

* * *

"Whoa," Mal chuckled after Evie told her story a bit. "Evie, that doesn't sound like you at all. I'm sure your mother was scary though when you got her mad though."

"Oh, yeah," Evie smirked, giggling a bit in memory. "She can act a bit like a wicked or evil queen sometimes if you get on her bad side. My mother's not a barrel of laughs when she doesn't get her way... Probably the only way and reason she ended up as mayor for as long as before I can even remember."

"You should see my mom when she gets mad," Mal smirked back a bit before looking a bit soft and thoughtful. "...Are you afraid of her?"

"Sometimes," Evie nodded. "Are you afraid of your mom?"

Mal sighed softly. "I just really want her to be proud of me. She gets so angry with me when I disappoint her," she then explained lightly. "And sh... Yeah, she's my mom, so I know she loves me... In her own way."

"...Moving on. Come see." Evie decided as she soon stood up off of the bed with Mal and brought her over to the full-body mirror in the room.

"Are we done?" Mal asked.

"Yeah." Evie nodded as she put her arms around Mal's shoulders hopefully.

Mal soon stepped over to her reflection and laughed a bit softly once she saw how she looked. She began to look and feel like a completely different person.

"I know." Evie smiled warmly.

"I look..."

"Say it."

"...Not hideous." Mal then said.

"Not even close." Evie smiled and beamed in agreement.

The two girls then laughed warmly together.

"It's good to have a sister again," Mal suddenly said before looking nervous as she let it slip. "I-I-I mean..."

"Again?" Evie asked curiously. "...Mal, do you have a sister I don't know about?"

Mal was going to make up a story, but soon looked into Evie's eyes, feeling like she could trust her with any secret. She then took a deep breath and decided to let it out. "Actually, yes," she soon confessed. "I did have a sister."

" _Did_...?" Evie asked curiously, wondering why Mal used "past tense" like that. "...She run away?"

"...Evie, if I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone else," Mal said softly. "This is very crucial and important to me. Do you understand?"

"You can trust me," Evie smiled warmly. "Cross my heart. I won't even tell the girls in our upcoming Study Group."

"Okay, that's good to kn-" Mal nodded before glancing at Evie. "Study group?"

"Mom thinks I should branch out and invite people over and not be afraid to... As long as it isn't a huge group," Evie said softly. "So I asked Tilly, Lonnie, Jane, and Wendy to have a study group with us. We can hang out, have snacks, help each other with our homework... I thought it'd be fun. I was going to tell you in class later, but we ended up coming home early."

"Oh... Well, I guess that'd be nice," Mal shrugged before smirking thoughtfully. "You ever think you might have a party here this weekend?"

"Oh, I don't think I could have a huge party here," Evie smiled sheepishly. "All right, enough dodging... Tell me about your sister. If you don't mind me asking about her."

"Well, okay..." Mal said as she heaved a sharp sigh. "I had an older sister back home. Her name was Lily and we were pretty close. She was the perfect student in school. She always got A's on her homework, she had perfect attendance, she was a pretty big role model-"

"You didn't have a fight with her, do you?" Evie interrupted, trying to guess what happened between Mal and her sister.

"No, nothing like that," Mal shook her head. "She just went through a rebellious phase pretty quickly and met some rogue people. She started sneaking out at night or hosting parties at our house while our parents would be out of town, sometimes she'd teach me how to get away with sneaking candy bars or stuff without paying."

"Shoplifting..." Evie shuddered as that gave her a cold chill.

"Yeah," Mal nodded then. "She was my best friend back then."

"So, what happened to her?" Evie asked.

Mal sighed sharply. "She got into an accident when she went to go to a weekend concert with her friends," she then explained, tasting the metallic flavor of grief and guilt from those events so many years ago. "She died on the impact with her friends... After the funeral, Mom and Dad's relationship seemed to get more and more strained... So my dad decided to pack up his things and he drove away one dark and rainy night. I saw him out my bedroom window and waved at him... He waved back at me and soon got in his car and I never saw him again after that."

"Oh, Mal..." Evie frowned as she sounded heartbroken in tone and sympathy. "I'm so sorry to hear that. That must've been so hard on you."

"It really was," Mal nodded. "It's like the sweet, innocent little girl in me died inside... And then I was born... Ending up becoming rotten to the core."

"Gosh..." Evie frowned before she held out her arms. "May I hug you?'

Mal glanced at Evie before shrugging and decided to extend her arms out next and the two girls soon shared a hug together. Mal didn't cry, but she still felt a bit emotional.

"You ever talk with your mom about Lily?" Evie asked.

"Not so much anymore," Mal shrugged. "It's just very complicated. At least your mom checks on you and makes sure you're okay and if you've at least eaten."

"Yeah... Though she's very busy most of the time so I'm usually being a second mother to Henry, such as getting him to school and bringing him home and most nights I'm the one taking care of dinner," Evie said softly. "I can't always talk to her all the time since she's the mayor and Graham says not to bother her while she's in the office."

"Graham?" Mal asked as she got out of the hug suddenly, raising an eyebrow. "You call your own dad by his first name?"

Evie seemed to look confused by Mal's question. "...Graham isn't my dad," she then explained softly. "He's just dating my mom right now and usually hangs around the house."

"Ohh..." Mal then said, now understanding, but she felt surprised to learn about that. "I'm sorry, Evie, I just thought he was your and Henry's dad."

Evie paused to think about it before chuckling suddenly. "Oh! Heh... I guess that kinda makes sense," she then said. "You're new around here so seeing him at my house a lot, I guess I can see why you'd think he was our dad, but no... He's just Sheriff Boyfriend to Mayor Mom."

"So... If you don't mind me asking... Where is your dad?" Mal asked. "I told you about my family, tell me about yours, and I promise not to tell anyone else."

"Thanks, Mal," Evie smiled softly before sighing. "To be honest with you, Mal, I don't know where my dad is."

"Oh... You never knew him?" Mal guessed.

"No, I was just very young when he was around," Evie said as she stood up and soon brought out her purse to take out a small photograph that she kept in there for secret. He was a handsome young-looking man with short black hair and eyes that matched Evie's. "His name was Daniel. I remember seeing him a lot long before Henry showed up in our lives. I was his little princess and he was my King Daddy... Sometimes we'd make a game out of it and he taught me how to ride horses. He even let me adopt and raise Rocinante on my fourth birthday."

"Cool dad..." Mal commented and nodded. "Rocinante? I guess that was your horse's name?"

"Yes," Evie beamed in the fond memories of nostalgia. "He was my prized and noble steed and I was The Princess Evie~"

Mal smiled warmly as that sounded so nice.

"And... I don't remember what happened to him..." Evie shrugged. "I remember having a dream where my grandparents coming over for dinner one night and my grandmother wanted to talk with my father in private. I could've sworn I saw my grandmother hurting my father, but... I don't know what happened, Mal... It's like he was erased from my memory or something."

"Gosh... Now that sounds disturbing." Mal remarked.

"Tell me about it," Evie nodded in agreement. "I've thought about talking it over with Mom sometimes, but... I just lose my nerve and I'm not sure what to do or how."

"Hmm..." Mal frowned thoughtfully. "I wish I could help you out there... Do you feel better after getting that out though?"

"Yeah... I do a little bit," Evie nodded. "I guess talking it out makes it better. I've never told anybody about that, not even Dr. Hopper."

"Well... I feel honored that you told me before anyone else." Mal smiled softly.

"Of course, Mal," Evie smiled back before giving the girl another hug suddenly. "You're my best friend around here."

"And you're mine, Evie." Mal smiled back, hugging right back then.

* * *

Then eventually, there was a knock on the front door. Mal and Evie soon left the room, going down to see who it was, though they had a pretty good idea of who it was. Mal took a deep breath as she opened the door as Evie stood far in the back and Ben was there, wearing a blue and gold Letterman jacket with two helmets in his arms, matching the school's colors in the design.

"For the first time, I understand the difference between pretty and beautiful." Ben soon said once he examined Mal.

Mal snorted as that was pretty corny as she gave an amused smile, but she didn't anything to that.

"I hope you like bikes." Ben then added.

Mal smiled as she took the extra helmet and soon went with Ben as Evie stepped out and made her own way back home, knowing a shortcut luckily from here.

* * *

And so, the two were riding off together on Ben's motorscooter, riding through the town with the wind in their hair and the sun on their faces. Many people were going about their usual business and Ben began to take Mal into the woods as he had a special plan for lunch since they wouldn't be eating in the cafeteria today. They passed the castle playground and the beach and soon came into the green and serene forest and soon began to walk across a rope bridge together.

"Tell me something about yourself that you've never told anyone." Ben requested as they walked across together.

"Um... My middle name is Bertha." Mal revealed, not sure what else to tell him as she wouldn't dare tell him what she told Evie, there were standards to go by between best friends and possible future boyfriends.

"Bertha?" Ben asked, not laughing, though he had a small smile from nose laughing at the name.

"Yeah. Bertha," Mal nodded on the way. "Just my mom doing what she does best. Being really, really evil. Malissa Bertha Ignus."

They soon took a brief stop and looked down into the stream below them as they enjoyed the scenery and spending time together so far.

"Mine's Maurice." Ben soon said.

"Maurice?" Mal chuckled. "It sounds like an old man's name."

"Funny you should mention that," Ben laughed as well. "It was my grandfather's name. My dad told me how my mom wanted to name me 'Florian' after a Prince Charming in one of the books she used to read before they met, but I guess he decided that would make the other kids wanna beat me up."

"That's almost worse though." Mal smirked as they continued to walk across the bridge together.

"I mean, you know, it's better than Bertha, but it's still not..." Ben chuckled sheepishly before he looked down at her feet as they were almost at the end of the bridge. "Watch your foot." he then cautioned.

"Okay." Mal nodded.

They soon continued along before he walked out in front of her and took her by the hands and went to help move her around further into the forest.

"Are you good?" Ben soon asked before he had her close her eyes.

"Mm-hmm." Mal nodded as she made it out with him.

"Now, step up," Ben said as he coordinated her a bit. "There you go. You ready?"

"Mm-hmm." Mal replied as she kept her eyes shut, allowing him to move her around a bit.

Ben nodded and soon got her to where she wanted and soon hugged her arm with his chin resting on her shoulder. "Open." he then told her.

Mal soon opened her eyes and gasped in delight as she saw a little picnic area set up. There was a beautiful blanket with a large basket and two spots just for the two of them and it looked like something out of a romantic fantasy book. The butterflies and birds chirping there even made it look amazing and just as fantastical in real life and up close. She just could not believe what she was seeing.

"Go on." Ben smiled, insisting that she go over and check it out.

Mal smiled back and soon walked over to the picnic grounds in delight. She then took off her jacket to show her dress underneath, getting more comfortable. Ben soon sat with her and they began to eat their lunch together at long last. He smiled, hoping she would like a lot of the treats that he had prepared and brought over for her to eat and try as he didn't know what foods she liked and this would probably be better than having lunch made by Mrs. Lucas and Mrs. Potts in the cafeteria.

"Is this your first time?" Ben asked as he sat comfortably as she nearly gulped down one of the desserts in an instant.

"Oh... I didn't really date much back home," Mal replied. "It was more like... Gang activity."

"Um, I meant, is this your first time eating a jelly donut?" Ben explained, chuckling a bit as he wasn't talking about dating.

"Is it bad?" Mal asked bashfully.

Ben smiled softly and soon wiped her mouth a bit, seeing some jelly stained and decided to help get it for her. "You got a... Just a... I mean, yeah, do this." he then told her.

"Mm-hmm..." Mal noticed and soon wiped it down and chuckled sheepishly with a weary smile. "Gone? You can't take me anywhere, I guess."

"You know, I've done all the talking," Ben smiled patiently, trying to be sociable. "Your turn. I really don't know that much about you. Tell me something."

"...Well, I'm 16. I don't have very many friends," Mal shrugged, not sure what to tell him. "And I've only ever lived in one place."

"Me, too," Ben nodded eagerly and hopefully. "That... We have so much in common already."

"No. Trust me, we do not," Mal replied. "And you're the most popular boy in school. You're class president, everybody knows you, you're the star quarterback, and everybody loves you, but there's something deep and underneath from that rather than power and riches. I can tell."

Ben looked wide-eyed and a little thankful that she saw that there was more to him deep down than there was on the outside with his rich and precocious status. He began to look very hopeful that something would come from this date and maybe it would after all with the way they were talking to each other.

"Who wouldn't love you, honestly?" Mal then continued.

"Do you love me, Mal?" Ben asked then hopefully.

Mal's eyes widened and she looked bashful and sheepish.

"Well...?" Ben asked then. "You're an amazing girl. You're new and yet you see me as a person and I see you as a person too, even if you got detention on your first week of school."

Mal frowned as she didn't want to be reminded of that right now.

Ben noticed that and decided to change the subject a bit. "Let's go for a swim." he then suggested.

"What? Uh... Right now?" Mal gasped as he suddenly stood up off of the picnic ground after they finished eating.

"Yeah, right now." Ben nodded as he began to unbutton his shirt.

"I think I'm just gonna stay here." Mal said nervously.

"No, no, no," Ben shook his head and took her hand, trying to get her to come and join him. "Come on."

"I think I'm gonna stay behind and have a strawberry," Mal grinned nervously and soon took one of the strawberries out of the bowl and began to munch on it. "How did you know I like strawberries? I just love strawberries. Mm! Mm~..."

"Don't eat all of them." Ben chuckled as he soon went behind a boulder and began to strip down into his swim shorts.

"Okay. Ooh! Mm~" Mal beamed before she looked over and saw him coming out, wearing his swim shorts. "Are those little crowns on your shorts?" she then asked, a bit amused.

"Maybe," Ben shrugged before he soon suddenly did a cannonball and splashed around suddenly, having the time of his life while she stayed behind. "Whoo! Ha-ha!" he then started to laugh out loud.

Mal smiled, glad to see him having fun as he began to swim around and have a lot of fun. However, she felt a bit strange and she wasn't sure what it was. She just wasn't sure what she was feeling and wished she could tell herself what it was all about. If only she could know what her heart was telling her. She didn't go swimming, after all, she didn't have her swimsuit with her and she soon looked around as it was quiet from Ben for a while and he seemed to suddenly be gone.

* * *

"Ben...? Ben... BEN?!" Mal soon called out, but only heard her echo as he was nowhere to be found and she soon jumped into the water and began to look around for him, not caring if she got her best clothes wet. She tried to swim around to look for him, though she seemed to have trouble in the water, gasping and panicking around. She soon cried out as she seemed to be drowning and panicked even more as she couldn't touch the ground anymore.

Eventually, Ben came out of the water and carried her in his arms. Mal coughed and sputtered a bit from the water that came into her mouth and she soon looked up at him, a bit bleary-eyed due to her traumatic swimming experience.

"Ugh! You scared me!" Mal complained once she was sitting down on the picnic grounds again, looking very frustrated.

"You can't swim?" Ben asked.

"No!" Mal glared. "I never learned how and I never want to!"

"And you still tried to save me..." Ben said softly.

"Yeah. And do you thank me? No!" Mal glared as she was having a miserable time right now. "All I get is soaking wet!"

"And, uh, this fancy rock," Ben then said, bringing out a glowing and crystallized rock that almost looked like a diamond. "It's yours. Make a wish and throw it back in the lake."

Mal looked at him and soon swiped it and chucked it right back into the water in a huff.

"I guess you're not having a good time?" Ben frowned in concern.

"Ben, I think I should just go home," Mal sighed as she crossed her arms and shrugged. "Ben, I appreciate you taking me out for a lunch date, I really do. The food was great and the company was even greater."

"So you liked it?" Ben asked hopefully.

"Yes, I liked it very much." Mal nodded as she admitted that.

Ben flashed a small smile as that seemed to make him look a bit more hopeful. Mal frowned thoughtfully to him, not sure what to do or say to that.

"Why don't you come to the big game against The Pirates tomorrow evening?" Ben suggested. "It's our second to last big game of the school semester before the final one against Sherwood and there's gonna be a big banquet with lots of food before Winter Break."

"Gee, Ben, I dunno..." Mal said softly.

"You can think about it," Ben smiled hopefully. "But I do hope that you come around. I think that you might like it."

"...I'll see what I'm doing around then," Mal shrugged. "After all, this weekend is a big party at Evie's house."

"A party at Evie's?" Ben asked. "Mayor Mills is letting Evie host a party at the mansion? I figured the only parties allowed there were for The City Council or something."

"Oh... Well, it's gonna be the party of the century," Mal said, hiding a small smirk as she remembered her deal with Uma. "Don't tell her though, but everybody in school's gonna be there."

"Well," Ben chuckled as he soon wrapped Mal up in his jacket so that she could warm up a bit. "That does sound like a lot of fun, but shouldn't Evie know about a party going on at her own house?"

"Oh, it's just a special surprise," Mal replied. "Anybody who's anybody will be there Saturday night at 7:00."

"Well... Okay," Ben nodded. "That does sound promising... But you should come to my football game... Deal?" he then asked as a compromise.

"I suppose that's fair," Mal said to him before they shook hands on it. "I... I think I'll see you around, Ben. I think I remember the way back home."

"Leaving so soon?" Ben frowned.

"Uh, yeah, I should get going to dinner," Mal replied as she walked off. "I'll see you later."

"Um, Mal... I think that I love you," Ben said softly so as to stop her as she shivered a bit from the cold water. "You don't have to say you love me back, I just thought I'd tell you how I feel."

Mal looked wide-eyed and stunned that Ben, the most popular boy in school, was falling in love with her as she never would've expected such a thing to ever happen to her. This just felt like a badly written teen soap opera or romantic comedy movie. What was this, _Summer School Musical_?

"Do you love me?" Ben then asked as she stared down at her feet.

Mal heaved a sharp sigh as she shook her head a bit. "I don't know what love feels like." she then said in a low tone of voice and shrugged, giving a frustrated sigh.

Ben soon held out his hand and moved her face with his fingertip, raising her chin a bit so that they would be looking at each other in the eyes. "Maybe I can teach you." he then offered.

Mal began to look thoughtful about that, though she still felt funny about all of this. Many girls from school, especially Audrey, would probably kill to be in her shoes right now, having Ben French in love with her. However, her heart felt empty as she barely even knew him and vice versa. She began to feel like that she simply did not love Ben back and she wasn't sure how she would ever be able to tell him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had a prompt for this chapter earlier and I was gonna pair it with the game against The Pirates' football team for something later into the story and update it later when I had more ideas, but unfortunately, the document I saved into my computer was eaten by it when I had to reset against my will and it was lost when I tried t open it again to make sure it was still saved, so I had to start all over again. So this is a brand new update until after Thanksgiving again and I hope you like it okay and I'll see you in the next chapters after this one until this story ends and I start my sequel I shall call Ways to be Wicked.

Mal still had a lot on her mind after her first official date with Ben. Yes, he was very pleasant and he seemed like a nice boy, pretty funny, and very adventurous, but... Mal felt like she wasn't sure if she was in love with him or not. She wasn't sure what she was going to tell the others, knowing that Evie and a lot of other girls in school were going to ask her how her date went. Evie had a lot on her mind too as it was almost time to meet Henry for coming home from school and she was excited about having a girl's study group with herself, Mal, and a few other girls she knew pretty well: Jane, Wendy, and Lonnie.

She just hoped that Mal was on friendly terms with or at least knew them pretty well, though Jane was probably fair gain since Jane was the first student that Mal met in school, not including herself. Right now, Evie couldn't believe her luck as she was given a note from the one and only Chad Princely to meet her under the bleachers so that they could talk. She wondered what he could want, but how could she say no when she had the biggest crush on him?

"Mayor Mills has to be your older sister or something," Chad smiled as he stood across from the dark-haired girl. "There's no way she could be your mother, she's so beautiful."

"Yeah, well, she is my mother." Evie nodded and giggled bashfully.

"Well, I can see where you get your gorgeous good looks from." Chad grinned smugly.

"Mom says I'm the fairest in the land to her," Evie smiled bashfully. "How many rooms does your house have?"

"Oh! Too many to count," Chad grinned. "You really nailed that chemistry pop quiz today. You're gonna have all the nerds in love with you."

"I'm not that smart,." Evie blushed.

"Oh, come on." Chad replied.

"No, really, I'm not, but I'm... I'm really good at sewing and cooking and cleaning," Evie shrugged bashfully. "I usually help my little brother with his homework though. That stuff looks so much easier looking back on it than when I was Henry's age."

"Ah, kids..." Chad sighed. "Very simple, sweet, and naïve... Wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, uh, maybe a little," Evie shrugged as she rubbed her arm sheepishly. "Though Henry's a lot smarter than he looks. I think he's gonna grow up to be a detective someday."

"Hmm... Interesting..." Chad smirked.

"So, uh, you wanna go to a movie or something?" Evie suggested. "I'm sure we could find something, uh, interesting to see... Or we could see a play... Like _My Fair Lady & the Tramp_?"

"Oh, gee, I'd like that, I really would, but... I'm swamped..." Chad sighed in dismay as he looked frustrated for a minute. "Oh, gosh darn it to heck... Unless~" he then started with a smirk.

"Unless?" Evie asked, looking very hopeful then.

Chad smirked suddenly. "If you could knock all my homework out along with yours, then maybe we could get together sometime... Hang. You could come to the game and cheer me on." he then suggested.

Evie's heart fluttered as she blushed even more and rocked back and forth on her heels in excitement. "Okay~" she then said to him.

"Thanks, Babe." Chad grinned as he grabbed his backpack.

"Yeah... Bye." Evie nodded and giggled.

Chad smirked as he nodded and soon walked off to go across the football field behind the bleachers. Evie sighed dreamily as she looked very excited about spending some time with Chad as this felt like her biggest dream come true. After all, a dream was what your heart made.

"Ahem..." A bespectacled boy from Chad and Evie's science class was suddenly shown as he was climbing from the bleachers to go and see the dark-haired girl. "I couldn't help but overhear..."

"Are you stalking me?" Evie asked suspiciously.

"Technically... Yes," The boy replied. "I'm Doug... My uncle is Grumpy Leroy the janitor and my Uncle Tom owns the pharmacy? I'm in the marching band?"

"Uh-huh..." Evie blinked as she slowly nodded. "Well, Doug, can I help you with something?"

"Uh, yeah," Doug replied. "I think you should stay away from Chad Princely."

"What?! Why?" Evie glared. "Why would you say such a thing? I don't even know you!"

Doug flinched as that last part stung a little bit, but he tried not to let it bother him. "He's obviously using you," he then said. "Listen, Evie, I've known you for a long time in school and you probably don't remember me, but we held hands in second grade."

"We did?" Evie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't I remember that?"

"...Well, I had a 64 pack of crayons with the sharpener and you wanted to use some of my crayons, but that's besides the point," Doug said bashfully. "I know Chad and his type. He's just using you so he can get away with cheating. C'mon, don't you think it's suspicious that he wants you to do his homework?"

"Well, he's a very busy boy, Darren-" Evie retorted strongly.

"Doug."

"Whatever... But he is on the football team and he probably barely has time to do his own homework and if he doesn't get it done, he won't be able to stay on the team," Evie defended. "I think you're just jealous."

"Jealous of _him_?!" Doug scoffed. "Come on, Evie, listen to me. Chad is just-"

"Evie?" A young voice called.

"Oh! Henry," Evie blinked as she looked over. "I'm sorry, Henry, I lost track of the time."

"It's okay, Evie," Henry replied. "I just thought I'd come looking for you. It's not like you to miss meeting me at Ms. Blanchard's classroom to go home in Mom's car."

"I'm very sorry about that," Evie said as she wrapped her arm around him. "Shall we go then?"

"Yeah." Henry nodded.

"Okay," Evie replied before looking at the boy. "I'll see you around, Derek."

"Uh, Doug." The geeky boy corrected nervously.

"Doug... Right..." Evie nodded as she walked off with her younger brother then.

Doug looked nervous and bashful before sighing as he decided to get going himself.

"Oh, Henry, I miss being your age," Evie sighed softly. "The world seemed a bit more simple... A million questions but no answers and everything is taken care of for you."

"I do miss taking a nap in the middle of the day and having snack time with Mrs. Kitsis-Hororwitz sometimes," Henry nodded. "So is today the big day where you have that study group with Mal and some other girls from class?"

"Yes, indeed," Evie nodded. "Lonnie Hua Li, Wendy Darling, and Jane Fairgood."

"Pretty good group," Henry replied. "Just don't make too much noise or gossip about boys too much. I could probably do without that."

"I'll see what we can do, you little stinker." Evie smirked playfully.

Henry chuckled a little from that.

"I'm especially excited to hear about Mal's lunch date with Ben French," Evie smirked. "That had to had been a lot of fun."

* * *

Mal sighed sharply as she was just on her way out of the bathroom and was making sure her hair was decent as it was a bit frizzy right now, much to her strong dislike. She decided to fix it up as best as she could before she would end up looking like the school's riding and archery instructor: Ms. Merida. Now that woman had hair that was like a scarlet-colored tumbleweed. Jane soon stepped out of the bathroom and began to wash her hands next to Mal as both girls looked at each other in the mirror.

Mal then decided to try to befriend and be social with the plucky headmistress' daughter who was a bit shy and awkward, especially without the girl known as Wendy by her side. "Hi! It's Jane, right?" she then asked with a small smile. "Ah, always loved that name. Jane."

"That's cool." Jane shrugged as she dried her hands and was about to leave the bathroom.

"Don't go!" Mal begged and smiled nervously. "I guess I was just kind of hoping to make a friend. You probably have all the friends you need though, huh?"

"Hardly, aside from maybe Wendy," Jane shrugged. "We've been friends since the sandbox though."

"Really? I mean with your mother being The Headmistress..." Mal replied. "I mean, not to mention your own... Um... Personality."

"I'd rather be pretty," Jane shrugged sheepishly. "You've got great hair."

"Oh... You think so?" Mal asked.

"Well, yeah, you gotta," Jane nodded. "Especially since you're dating The King of the School: Ben French. Boys are gonna want you and girls are gonna wanna be you."

Mal frowned slightly at the idea of dating Ben. "You know what? I think I've got just the thing for that," she then said as she examined Jane. "Now, lemme see... You could use a bit of an upgrade... No offense, I mean."

"Oh... N-None taken..." Jane replied. "Some other girls say I could look a little more grown-up."

"Like Audrey?" Mal guessed, sounding a bit sardonic.

Jane nodded honestly and a bit nervously.

"Well... Let me try to fix that..." Mal said as she took her hairbrush out of her bag and soon took the bow out of Jane's hair and began to brush it as best as she could, making it a bit longer and more mature looking to match her current age.

The two girls soon took a look in the mirror behind them. Both looked very amazed at the makeover and Jane looked very delighted and thrilled with her new look.

"Wow! You almost don't notice your... Other features anymore." Mal smiled as she put her arm around Jane.

"This is amazing," Jane whispered. "You're like a hairdresser sorceress."

"Heh, pretty interesting way to look at it," Mal smiled. "That's a really good look on you, Jane. You look so grown-up."

"I can't wait to show Wendy," Jane smiled back. "So, uh, I guess I'll see you at Evie's place after school today?"

"Huh?" Mal asked before she then remembered that Evie reminded her to come to her place after school for the study group before nodding. "Oh, right. The study group. Yes, I'll see you after school."

"That sounds great," Jane replied as she nodded. "Well, thanks, Mal. This was amazing."

"Uh-huh," Mal agreed. "See ya then, Jane."

* * *

Eventually, the students with no after school plans in school made it back home and soon, the other girls who agreed to a study group had shown up. The girls helped each other with their homework while Mal enjoyed the distraction as much as she could as she wasn't sure what she was going to tell the other girls about her and Ben. She knew he was rich, popular, and important to the school and she didn't want to let the new friends she had down, so she decided to keep quiet about her date with Ben as best as she could.

However, that didn't last long as in typical teenage girl fashion, they started to gossip about boys as Evie checked the oven in her mother's kitchen as she left some apple tart treats for the girls to snack on in her absence as she had to meet Graham down at the Sheriff's station after school. Henry was occupied in his room, doing the homework that he could do on his own and if he was good and got it done on time, Evie allowed him to play video games because she would be busy right about now.

"Mom said, 'If a boy can't see the beauty within, then he's not worth it'," Jane quoted as she pouted and sank in her chair, trying to fit in with the other girls besides Wendy who was her best and pretty much only friend. "Can you believe it? What world does she live in?"

"Auradon Heights." Mal smirked playfully as she sketched in her diary since they were done with their homework.

"I'll never get a boyfriend." Jane sulked.

"Oh, Jane, you'll get a new boyfriend soon," Wendy smiled in deep support for her best friend. "I just know it."

"You have more of a chance than I do," Lonnie smirked. "My dad and big brother don't want me to start dating until after I'm married."

"How does that work?" Mal smirked back.

"I dunno, but those odds are concerning me." Lonnie chuckled a bit.

"Besides, boyfriends are overrated." Mal then said with a shrug.

"Easy for you to say, you got to have a picnic lunch with The King of Auradon Heights himself." Evie replied as she brought out the tray of apple tarts to her friends once they were cooled down enough after coming out of the oven.

Each of the girls soon took one, though Mal felt her stomach turn nervously as Evie just had to say that. She then quickly bit into the apple tart to change the subject. "Mm-mm! So good!" she then beamed to the other girls. "And your mother made these herself, Evie?"

"Well... Yes," Evie nodded. "You know my mom has her own apple tree in the backyard."

The other girls quickly agreed that the apple tarts were amazing.

"Oh! I forgot to do Chad's homework!" Evie soon realized as she set the apple tart tray down and went to reach into her backpack. "Oh, no! Oh, no, no, no."

"And that is exactly what I mean." Mal smirked towards Jane.

"It's okay though, Jane," Wendy smiled at Jane before blushing. "My parents are protective too. You know how to get sometimes."

"Believe me, I do." Jane nodded while the others, such as Mal, had to take their word for it since she didn't know Wendy's parents.

"Oh, Mal, I just love what you've done with Jane's hair," Lonnie smiled. "Do you think, uh, maybe you could do mine too?"

"Hey! I'm the fashionista of this group, not Mal!" Evie smirked playfully.

"Yes, well, _I'm_ the hairdresser of the group, so there," Mal smirked back. "Besides, why would I do that?"

"I'll pay you $50," Lonnie suggested, taking out the money, getting a very wide-eyed and jaw-dropped expression from Mal. "...What?"

"Where did you get that kind of money?" Mal asked. "You got an after school job or something?"

"Oh... No," Lonnie shook her head. "This is part of the allowance I saved up from before my mother went away in The Army."

"Your mom's in The Army?" Mal asked.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that Lonnie is an army brat?" Evie asked, though meaning that in a good way and not making fun of Lonnie and calling her a "brat". "Well, yeah, she is."

"Yes," Lonnie nodded and sighed as she gave Mal the money. "Though Mom's bravery and efforts have motivated me into doing something amazing."

"Paying me to be your professional hairstylist?" Mal grinned then.

"No, silly goose," Lonnie giggled before sighing softly. "I'm gonna try-out for the next football, basketball, or even baseball team for Coach Jenkins. My brother was on his football team before he graduated and my mother taught me karate when I was 10-years-old. You should see me spar against him and I'm gonna teach Coach Jenkins that girls can be on his teams," she then decided strongly. "If my mother let a bunch of guys get her down and push her around, she wouldn't be in the war right now, fighting for everybody over here."

"Wow, Lonnie... I had no idea..." Mal whispered in amazement.

"Yeah, I'm sick of just jump-roping in the school gym," Lonnie nodded in determination. "It's time to bring honor to us all."

"Well, Lonnie, I gotta say, I like your spirit," Mal replied as she soon began to brush Lonnie's hair. "Now, uh, would you like any special style?"

"Lose the bun, maybe some layers, and some highlights?" Evie added as a suggestion.

"I want it cool," Lonnie replied. "Like Mal's."

"Really?" Mal asked, sounding touched.

"The split ends too?" Evie added, teasing her friend a bit.

Mal chuckled a bit as she soon did Lonnie's hair, making her lose the traditional bun and it was soon down and appeared to be longer. It was a bit curlier too and had more color into it and it reached over her shoulders. It was almost like a fairy tale transformation. Lonnie soon stood up from the chair and walked over to take a look in the mirror as she was stunned with silence and observed her new look.

"I know. I know. It looks like a mop on your head," Evie softly told Lonnie as she joined her at the mirror. "You know what? Let's cut it off, layer it-"

"No, no, no, no, no, no! I love it." Lonnie insisted.

"You do?" Evie blinked.

"It's just..." Lonnie breathed a bit before she then ripped her dress skirt, trying to be like a hardcore bad chick, smirking at her reflection. "Now I'm cool."

"Like ice." Mal added.

Jane soon tried to do the same with her dress skirt and suddenly shrieked at what just happened. "What did I just do? Mom's gonna kill me!" she then panicked.

"Oh, Jane!~" The others called playfully.

"I'll sew that up for you." Wendy offered with a small sigh.

"Thanks, Wendy." Jane sighed in relief.

"What're best friends forever and ever for?" Wendy smiled. "So, our parents won't be here for a while longer to pick us up in time for dinner? What should we talk about? Maybe Mal's date with Ben French?"

"Uh... Well... Erm..." Mal stammered nervously.

"Maybe Mal doesn't feel like it right now." Evie suggested.

"Yeah... Maybe I don't feel like it right now." Mal nodded assertively then.

"Okay, okay," Wendy replied. "Maybe we could talk about some boys we like."

"Boys~" Evie giggled as she decided to come to the door of the kitchen door. "Typical slumber party gossip, huh? Just a moment."

The other girls looked at each other and nodded.

"Henry, you might wanna put on your noise-canceling headphones," Evie suggested to her little brother as he played his video game. "It might get a bit loud."

Henry didn't say anything and soon brought out his headphones and put them on as he went back to his video game before the door shut as Evie told him that for his own sake.

* * *

"So... Cute boys... Like Chad Princely," Evie grinned. "I might be having a date with him after the game against The Barrie Pirates."

Wendy chuckled bashfully at the mention of that team against their school.

"We should really go to that game to cheer them on," Evie suggested. "Would you guys be okay with that?"

Jane and Mal murmured and shrugged, though Wendy and Lonnie both seemed eager about going to that game.

"Oh, Chad... I hope you marry me~" Evie sighed happily and dreamily.

Mal rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I'm not sure if there's a boy out there that I like," Lonnie shrugged. "I never really get a chance to talk to the boys very much aside from maybe Ben. I guess I'd have to think about it."

"Yeah, I'm not sure if there's a boy out there that I like either," Jane added. "Not that any boy would wanna talk to me anyway."

"And what about you, Wendy?" Mal then quickly asked before anyone could get to her.

"Hm?" Wendy blinked.

"Do you like anybody?" Mal asked.

"Uh... Well... Erm... I-I might have a crush on a boy..." Wendy said bashfully.

"Well, no duh!" Evie smirked playfully. "Could you be more specific?"

Wendy chuckled nervously as she blushed a bit, rubbing her arm a bit.

"C'mon, you gotta tell us who this guy is," Mal smirked. "Do we know him from school?"

"N-No... You wouldn't know him from school..." Wendy shook her head. "Not from our school anyway."

"Ooh~..." Mal and Evie cooed and smirked, giggling a bit.

"Is this forbidden?" Lonnie asked. "What school does he go to?"

"I didn't know you liked a boy from a different school, Wen," Jane said to her best friend. "You never told me about that."

"Well, there are some things that you don't know about me, Janey," Wendy replied. "And I'm sure there are some things that I don't know about you."

"I-I guess that's fair enough," Jane said bashfully. "Can we at least know where this boy goes to school?"

"Is this a forbidden love?" Mal smirked. "I heard you guys are rivals with that Emerald Acres school place or whatever it's called."

"No, it's not Emerald Acres." Wendy shook her head.

"Um... Is it Avalon High?" Evie asked.

"Nope." Wendy replied.

"Arendelle Academy?" Jane guessed.

"Nuh-uh." Wendy declined.

"Uh, I don't know very many other schools," Mal shrugged. "Is he home-schooled?"

"No, he does in fact go to school," Wendy replied. "In fact, we're gonna be visited by his school before the weekend."

The other girls thought more about it until it finally hit them. "The James Barrie School for Boys!"

"Uh-huh," Wendy nodded bashfully and giggled sheepishly. "His name is Peter Banning~"

"Ooh~" The other girls smirked a bit.

"I-I'm not sure how I'd get him to notice me, but I'd love it very much," Wendy replied sheepishly. "Mal... I don't suppose you could help me out too?"

"Well... All right..." Mal replied. "I guess I could give you a little bit of help. We'll actually go to the football game and you can tell us how it went when you do get to see him."

"Oh! Thank you~" Wendy beamed and clapped in excitement. "Just don't tell my parents about this...?" she then requested. "They'd probably freak out on me."

"Well, I don't know your parents very well, so your secret is safe with me." Mal decided.

The other girls then promised and vowed to keep Wendy's secret safe for her.

"Oh, thanks so much you guys," Wendy smiled. "I'm so excited now. I know Peter goes to a different school, but I have very high hopes for the both of us~"

"You're my best friend, you're like a sister to me, so I have high hopes for you too," Jane smiled back. "Maybe he has a cute brother I could ask out."

The girls soon giggled as they looked hopeful and excited for Wendy now as they told her what to do and hopefully by the big game coming up this week, there would be something happening.

* * *

Eventually, some time passed and it was time for everyone to go back home. Today's study group went very well and Mal was surprised that she had actually enjoyed it.

"Well, I'm sorry I missed your study group, but I trust that it was fun," Regina said as she came home with a couple of bags of take-out food for dinner tonight. "I hope Shan Yu's Dim Sum is okay tonight, Evie. I'm afraid I don't have enough energy to cook tonight after that Town Council meeting and another one coming this weekend."

"That's okay, Mom," Evie reassured as she took one of the bags. "A little take-out once in a while never hurt anyone."

"So, uh, Ms. Mills, you'll be busy this weekend?" Mal asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid I need another meeting this weekend," Regina nodded. "I'm sure you can watch over Henry for me, Evie?"

"Of course, Mom." Evie nodded.

Mal soon nudged Evie as though to remind her about something this weekend.

"Oh... Uh... Mom, could I have a party this weekend?" Evie soon asked.

"A party?" Regina asked as they walked into the kitchen to get dinner taken care of and Henry soon stopped and saved his game, going to the bathroom to wash up for dinner.

"Yeah, you know, a party for us teenagers to just hang out and knock off from homework and stressful school days for a while," Mal advised. "You were a kid once, right, Ms. Mills?"

"That may be true, but I'm not so sure about that," Regina replied. "Especially a party around here. What did you have in mind?"

"Just some kids from school since our study group went so well," Mal defended. "I'm sure you can trust Evie."

Regina raised an eyebrow sharply.

"Don't you usually host parties around here?" Mal asked.

"Yes, but those are completely different," Regina retorted. "Those are town parties like for Halloween or Christmas. Mal, I'm not sure if Evie's ready to have a party here, especially without a chaperone or two."

"Oh, please, Mom? I'll be responsible," Evie put her hands together hopefully as she could tell that Mal really wanted this for the both of them. "If you have parties here with the grown-ups, isn't it fair that I have a party with some friends from school?"

"Well... I don't know..." Regina paused thoughtfully.

"She makes a good point, Ms. Mills," Mal added. "I'll even come over to help make sure that it goes alright. You won't be here and maybe Evie can have a fun Saturday night. Whatya say?"

"...Well, I suppose you could since I'll be out of the house-" Regina started to say.

"YES!" Mal and Evie soon cheered in excitement.

"BUT!" Regina soon continued, sharply saying that to get their attention. "Evie, you have to let your little brother come to the party and if any of your guests have younger brothers and sisters, they should come too so that he can have his own party."

"...Okay, Mom," Evie soon nodded. "That's fair."

"Yeah, Henry can come too and have his own party," Mal added. "It'll be lots of fun for all of us and I promise that everything will be intact."

"Oh, I sure hope so," Regina replied. "Also, Evie, if you need absolutely anything, call Graham. He'll be right over in a flash, you know that."

"Yes, Mom," Evie nodded. "I won't let you down."

"And neither will I." Mal added.

"I sure hope not," Regina replied with a small smile. "This is going to be an interesting weekend, I can tell."

"Oh, it sure is." Mal nodded as she soon texted Uma to let her know that the party deal was now set in motion.

It was now all up to fate and one had to wonder how the house party was going to be settled and what Uma had planned for it. There was also the matter of the big game against The James Barrie Pirates. How will that play out and what will happen for our plucky little Wendy Darling and her crush? Keep reading and find out more next time in _Rotten to the Core_.


	15. Chapter 15

It was finally the day. The big day of school before later that night would be Mal's first time at a sports game for school.

"I'll be right there, girls, I just need to get something out of my locker." Mal told her girl friends as they were on their way out the door.

"Okay, but don't take too long." Evie replied as she went on ahead with Lonnie, Jane, and Wendy.

Mal nodded and soon dialed her combination in her locker, then reached inside to get her History book as she recalled "Mr. Thatch" hinting about an upcoming test in a couple of weeks. She reached in to get it only for her locker door to suddenly slam shut and she was then faced with Uma which made her yelp and jump back since the girl was inches away from her face. 

"So the party is on this weekend, huh?" Uma asked with a smirk as she crossed her arms.

"Yes, Uma," Mal rolled her eyes as she nodded. "It's on for this weekend. Now don't do anything too crazy. Evie's mom really trusts her."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good, as long as the party is still on," Uma replied. "Just remember not to tell her anything and be discrete."

"I'm surprised someone like you knows how to use that word correctly in a sentence." Mal murmured as she dialed her combination again to open her locker.

"What was that?" Uma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing~" Mal replied innocently.

"Mm-hmm..." Uma nodded sharply. "I'd watch that tone if I were you."

"All right," Mal replied as she soon took her textbook out and put it in her bag. "Listen, I gotta go. I'll see you at the party, I guess."

"We'll just see about that." Uma said with a dark grin and narrowed eyes on her face.

Mal nodded, trying to hide her fear and show nothing but bravery and didn't confront Uma. She was told that that would be very bad. However, as soon as Mal left, Uma had Gil and Harry at her sides.

"The party is still on, boys," Uma told Gil and Harry. "I hope you brought your dancing shoes."

"Oh, Uma, I don't have dancing shoes," Gil spoke up. "Should I rent some for in time for the party?"

Uma groaned and face-palmed him.

"Think before ye speak!" Harry glared as he knocked Gil upside his head, growling and rolling his eyes.

"Oh, Harry, you always know how to make me feel better~" Uma smirked at him before he took his hands and kissed his lips suddenly. "Stay sweet in time for the party."

Harry grinned and nodded, though he seemed to touch his face with a small frown as Uma stalked off away from him suddenly. 

"...Should I still rent dancing shoes or should I probably borrow something from my mom?" Gil asked then. "I'm confused."

"In other news: water is wet and grass is green." Harry snarked bitterly.

"Ouch..." Gil frowned. "You okay, Harry? You don't seem like yourself lately."

"It's... It's nothing..." Harry replied softly as he watched Mal leave school and go meet her new friends out the front doors before he put his finger against his chin. "I'm just afraid I've been thinking."

"A dangerous pastime?" Gil gasped.

"I know," Harry rolled his eyes. "I know I do a lot for Uma, but... I dunno... I don't feel as happy around her as I used ta be... I feel like somethin's missin' deep down in me 'eart."

"But you love Uma and she loves you," Gil reminded. "You can't just leave her."

"I-I'm not sayin' I am," Harry said, trying to get Gil to calm down otherwise he would probably tell Uma what was going on. "I just need ta think to myself a little bit... Not that ye would understand what that's like... How did even make it ta 10th grade?"

"Gee, Harry..." Gil shivered as that hurt a bit. "Sometimes your words hurt."

Harry grumbled as he soon stormed off and sighed as he thought about what was going on personally with him. He soon looked out the window, watching Mal as she met up with her girl friends and they soon went off together and he had a small, dreamy smile on his face. "'ello, Fishbait... Ye might be a target and new... But I'd like to get ta know ye better... And... I dunno... Maybe ye would me too~..." he then said as it seemed like he was developing a crush on Mal, but there would be more on that later.

* * *

The girls continued to walk on out, talking to each other in anticipation of the upcoming football game while the boys began to practice and get ready for the big game. The girls then stopped as they saw a yellow food truck.

"Rollin' Bayou!" Evie beamed. 

"...Excuse me?" Mal blinked in confusion.

"Oh, you've never seen The Rollin' Bayou before, huh, Mal?" Wendy replied.

"No, I haven't," Mal replied. "What is it?"

"C'mon, we'll show you." Wendy giggled as she took Mal's hands and ran with her right away over to the food truck.

Mal shrugged and rolled her eyes at the sudden pulled force. A frizzy black-haired woman opened up the window and smiled, waving over as she saw that she had some customers and inside was a slightly older girl with long honey-colored hair that fans out around her shoulders and big brown eyes lined with gold shadows.

"Hi, girls," The woman smiled warmly. "You look like you could use an after school snack."

"You bet, especially our friend Mal here," Lonnie smiled back. "Mal, do you like beignets?"

"...I guess?" Mal shrugged. "I don't even know what a beignet is."

The girl gasped a bit dramatically. "You... Never heard of beignets?!" she then asked like that was just crazy talk. "Where have you been all your life? Under a rock?"

"No, that'd probably be an improvement." Mal smirked.

"You must be new in town, hon." The woman said to her.

"She is," Evie replied as she wrapped her arm around the dark-haired girl beside her. "Me and Mal are best friends."

"Oh... That sounds very nice, Evie," The woman smiled. "How about I give you a free sample and you can see if you like it?"

Mal blinked before shrugging. "Okay." she then said.

"Sounds good," The woman smiled before looking to the girl beside her. "Opal, let's give this girl a taste of N'awlins."

"You got it, Sister Sabine." The girl nodded and went to get to work.

"...N'awlins?" Mal blinked. "What is _N'awlins_?"

The others chuckled a bit.

"That's just what we call New Orleans back home," Sabine replied. "I'm from there, you see. My name is Sabine and this is my little helper and goddaughter, Opal."

"Hey, there." Opal nodded and waved as she began to work on the prep for the treat.

"Well, uh, nice to meet you, Sabine," Mal replied. "Do you use this food truck all the time?"

"Oh, yes, usually around town and definitely around block parties or street carnivals," Sabine nodded. "It's a very proud tradition of mine."

"I see," Mal replied. "I wish I could cook."

"Me too." Evie added bashfully.

The others chuckled a bit.

"We should get a batch for the game to wish the guys luck," Jane suggested. "They need that kind of energy you can only get from eating sugar."

"I know that's for sure," Sabine smirked. "So you wanna get some of my man-catching beignets?"

"Not that Mal needs a whole lot, she's dating Ben now~" Evie smirked back.

"Evie..." Mal whispered.

"Wow... Lucky you," Sabine remarked. "The new girl in town and already dating the most popular boy in school. I wish I could've had that chance when I was younger."

"Uh... Y-Yeah... It's cool..." Mal shrugged before Opal grinned, holding out a plate to her with a single treat on it. "Oh... Is that for me?"

"Your free sample, remember?" Sabine reminded. "Go on... Go ahead and try it."

"Oh... Well, what have I got to lose, right?" Mal shrugged and soon took the beignet and sniffed it a bit as the others leaned in hopefully and soon bit into it before her eyes widened and she continued to eat up instantly. 

"You like?" Sabine smiled.

"I love!" Mal replied as she nodded. "I love the lack of dirt!"

The others then looked concerned that Mal would say such a thing about a dessert.

"Mm~... There's like fireworks of flavor and sweetness in my mouth..." Mal moaned as she cupped her cheeks before licking the powdered sugar off her fingertips.

"So, could we have some for the boys' game?" Evie asked as she blushed warmly. "Chad deserves the best after all~"

Jane, Wendy, and Lonnie rolled their eyes at the mention of Chad.

"Why, of course," Sabine replied. "Opal, you know what to do."

"Right." Opal nodded and soon went to work.

"So, uh... Opal... Is she your daughter, niece, what?" Mal asked.

"She's my goddaughter," Sabine explained. "Her mother is a dear old friend of mine and we just stick together. Sometimes for special occasions like Mardi Gras, we have a special on these lovely treats."

"I can see why." Mal smiled softly.

"They're nothing like my mom's chocolate chip cookies, but I quite enjoy them myself." Lonnie nodded.

"Oh, yes, nothing beats a chocolate chip cookie from your mom." Jane added.

"Or your father!" Wendy quickly added.

"You guys know my mom," Evie noted as Mal looked a bit distant and sad during the conversation. "Her and her apples."

The other girls giggled before looking over at Mal.

"Oh, Mal, doesn't your mom ever make you chocolate chip cookies or apple tarts or something?" Lonnie asked the girl in concern. "Like, when you're feeling sad, and they're fresh from the oven, with a big old glass of milk, and she just makes you laugh and puts everything into perspective and... Why are you looking at me like that?" she then asked in concern as Mal still looked distant and sad.

"...It was just different where I'm from." Mal said softly as that just sounded like a luxury to her while the other girls just had fond memories of what their parents did for them.

"Yeah, I know... I just thought... Everybody loves their child..." Lonnie said softly.

"It's complicated between me and Mom right now," Mal said softly. "Especially since my dad walked out on us."

"Oh... H-How awful..." Lonnie frowned.

"It's fine..." Mal said, deciding to change the subject. "S-So, we'll hurry home and finish up our homework and head on down to the game?"

"Let's just hope that Jane doesn't snack on too many beignets on the way down there." Wendy smirked playfully.

Jane looked wide-eyed and jaw-dropped, putting her hand to that heart almost like that offended her as the other girls soon giggled. Eventually, the beignets were done and Sabine placed them in a couple of bags, marking them both as Opal gave out the bags and Evie decided to pay for the charges.

"One for you and one for the boys." Opal told the group of girls.

"Thanks, Sabine and Opal." The girls nodded as they accepted the bags and Evie gave Sabine the required money.

"You girls have a lovely afternoon and wish our team luck for me." Sabine smiled.

"We will!" Jane replied. "Bye!"

The girls smiled and soon left with their collected food as Coach Jenkins barked orders at the boys on the team.

"You sure you still wanna try-out for sports?" Mal asked Lonnie. "It looks pretty hectic over there."

"I can handle anything," Lonnie smirked. "It's just me, my big brother, and my uncles at my house right now, so I know better than to let a bunch of boys bully me around on the field."

"Okay," Mal shrugged with a small smirk back. "I might have a lot of guts myself, but you're braver than I am, Lonnie."

"I can live with that." Lonnie nodded as she smirked. 

The girls then followed Evie over to the mansion as the boys were doing what they needed to do to prepare for tonight's game.

* * *

"Razzle-Dazzle, make 'em cry!" Audrey began to cheer along with Scarlet, Ivy, Coraline, and a few other girls on the cheerleading squad. "Walter Elias Knights, sock 'em in the eye! Yeah!"

"Go, Knights!" Scarlet, Ivy, and Coraline added.

"All right you maggots, listen up," Coach Jenkins reminded his team as they gathered around. "Tonight we're playing against one of our rival schools: The James Barrie Pirates. We need to crush 'em with our defense and dominate em with our offense. Got it?"

"Oh, trust me, I know all about offense," Jay smirked. "You do not wanna be at my house at dinner time."

The other boys chuckled a bit.

"FOCUS!" Coach Jenkins glared as he swiped the football away from Jay as he posed with it. "I need a professional show how it's done. Any volunteers?"

A few hands went up, though Gil looked the most eager and anxious.

"All right, LeGume, show us what you're made of." Coach Jenkins said, tossing the ball to the dark blonde-haired boy.

"Sch-ah-weet!~" Gil beamed as he took the ball and soon took off, slamming right into a tackling dummy and strained against it for a few moments before releasing.

"Killer effort, LeGume!" Coach Jenkins nodded in approval.

"No one tackles like me! ...Except for maybe my dad," Gil replied before gushing. "He's so awesome~"

"Right then!" Coach Jenkins nodded. "The rest of you boys show me what you're made of! Hustle! Hustle! Hustle!"

The team soon did what they could during their practice.

"Do you want those Pirates to win?" Coach Jenkins huffed. "C'mon, ladies! Hit it! Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?!"

Ben found a beautiful purple flower in the ground and soon plucked it and decided it to wear it on his uniform for luck and placed it on his uniform with a small smile. The color reminded him of Mal as he had a really great feeling and excitement about tonight's game, especially since she would be there to see him out on the field. Chad began to look jealous: not because Ben was going out with Mal now, but jealous that he felt like he was losing his best friend.

* * *

Later on, it was getting close to game time as Mal, Evie, Henry, and Regina were sitting down to dinner together before the game. They were having some spaghetti and Mal was slurping the noodles a bit noisily.

"Please don't slurp, Mal," Regina advised. "That's not very good manners."

"Oops... Sorry, Ms. Mills," Mal chuckled sheepishly. "Great spaghetti though."

"I was hoping you'd like it," Regina nodded. "And I'm glad I got to at least get you guys some dinner tonight."

"It's really good, Mom." Henry replied.

"And thanks for letting Mal stay over tonight," Evie beamed warmly. "This is gonna be a great game. She gets to see her boyfriend out on the field."

Mal then gulped down her glass of milk that came with dinner as she looked wide-eyed at that statement.

"I know I'd be excited to see my first school game and seeing my boyfriend out there," Regina smirked. "How fortunate for you, Mal."

"Uh... Yeah... My boyfriend... Lucky... That's me..." Mal nodded wearily and smiled nervously.

"And just think, it'll be the big final game against Sherwood before we know it," Evie beamed. "Mal, you have to come to that. There's a banquet and it's a bit formal dress, but everybody's going to be there and with their parents."

"Oh, well, uh, I guess I'll see if my mom will come or not," Mal shrugged bashfully. "She might be busy, ya know."

Regina looked suspicious of that, but just nodded and played along so that things wouldn't turn ugly rather quickly. "Well, I hope you girls have fun at the game tonight," she then said. "Do you need a ride?"

"No, Mom, that's okay," Evie replied. "Lonnie's dad offered to drive us."

"Okay," Regina nodded. "You girls stay out of trouble then."

Mal and Evie smiled a bit before they finished up their dinner.

"Be good for Mom and Graham while I'm gone." Evie smiled as she soon hugged Henry.

"I promise, Evie, I'll make sure she gets in bed by 9:00 and no soda after dinner." Henry replied.

The two siblings chuckled together as Mal watched softly and quietly. Eventually, after dinner, Regina washed the dishes as Evie got some blue and gold clothes for Mal to wear at the game so that they could show their school spirit. Mal paused to think about it and decided to go with a blue sweater with gold writing on it since she didn't like wearing flat-out yellow since she viewed it as "the opposite of purple" which was her favorite color. Evie beamed, giving two thumbs up and giggled before hugging Mal suddenly. Mal beamed in the hug, hugging Evie right back.

* * *

Soon, they came downstairs as they heard a horn honking outside. 

"Have fun at the game," Henry said. "Sorry I can't go, but I don't like crowded places and plus, I'd never get my homework done."

"So I took the night off to look after Henry and maybe watch a movie with him and maybe Graham if he comes over." Regina added.

Mal couldn't help but notice that Evie stuck her tongue out at the mention of Graham, but luckily, only she noticed it and not Regina. Looks like Evie doesn't like Graham as much as her mother thought she did. "Thanks, Ms. Mills, we'll see you later." she then told the woman.

"Sure thing, Mal," Regina smiled as she put her arm around Henry. "See you both later."

"Later, Mom." Evie nodded and soon went to go out the door with Mal over to the Hau Li's van where Jane, Wendy, and Lonnie were already inside of.

Regina and Henry waved them off at the door and soon went back inside as Mal and Evie got into the van and shut the doors behind them. Once the doors were shut, the van drove off to get them over to the school for the big game.

"Hey, Mal, glad you could make it," Lonnie giggled. "Want some beginets before the game?"

"Oh... Maybe just one..." Mal shrugged as she took one out of the offered bag before taking obviously more than one. "Or maybe two."

Lonnie giggled as she set the bag down.

"Remember not to eat too many and make yourself sick." Shang warned his daughter.

"Yes, Dad." Lonnie promised.

"Oh, I hope Peter gets this note in time," Wendy beamed as she took out her secret note that she was going to give to Peter to let him know how she felt and hopefully something good would happen after. "I'm so excited~"

"And I'm so excited for you." Jane smiled at her best friend.

Wendy and Jane squealed and beamed from the anticipation.

"What's going on back there?" Shang soon asked.

"Oh, you know, just some girl stuff," Lonnie reassured her father. "Nothing you need to worry about~"

"Mm-hmm..." Shang rolled his eyes with a small smirk as he drove along.

The rest of the ride was filled with shivering anticipation. Many other cars were on their way down to the game and there was a different school bus on its way over to the respective school. 

"There they are, Mal," Lonnie told the new girl. "The James Barrie Pirates."

"Ooh, I love their guyliner," Mal smirked. "Super scary~"

The other girls then giggled to that. Wendy looked over, seeing a boy with dark blonde hair and dark blue eyes and sighed dreamily at the sight of him.

"So, that must be your knight in shining armor, Peter." Mal smirked towards Wendy.

"Huh? Oh, yeah..." Wendy nodded and blushed a bit. "Isn't he cute?"

"Well... He seems... Interesting..." Mal shrugged, not sure what else to say, but decided to at least try to be polite.

Wendy and Jane giggled again and soon hugged each other from the excitement. Eventually, the girls came over to the boys' locker room and left a note on the bag, running off after Evie knocked on the locker room door and took off running and hid behind the gym bleachers. Coach Jenkins poked his head out the door, looking around before shrugging and was about to shut the door until he saw the treat bag and soon decided to take it after practically drooling at the sweet smell and brought it inside and shut the door behind them. The girls beamed and cheered as they saw that, laughing together in excitement.

"Okay, Wendy... Your time to shine," Jane told her best friend as she looked at the visitors' locker room. "Go on now."

"Okay... Here it goes..." Wendy said, tingling from the excitement as she was advised by the other girls to leave a note for Peter to invite her to come and see her in private so that she could confess her feelings to him. She then took out the note and puckered her lips as she wore dark red lipsticks and soon kissed and sealed the envelope with a kiss as she then knelt down and slid the note under the door crack. 

The girls then giggled as they took off running in excitement as they came to join everyone else to the game outside. Doug was playing his horn as he joined the others in the school marching band as they played as followed while the cheerleaders gave their cheers and chants to the people in the crowd and the mascot who was a knight in shining armor walked by, a bit awkwardly among the cheerleaders. There were plenty of people in the stands right before the game.

* * *

"Go, Knights! Go, Knights! Go, Knights! Yeah!" The cheerleaders beamed and cheered.

Soon, the Walter Elias football team bursted right out of their locker room as they took their place on the sideline. Many of them had powdered sugar on their faces. 

"And here they come, The Walter Elias Knights and it looks like some of them had a sugary snack just before the big game!" The announcer called with a chuckle as the crowd for their respective school cheered for them. 

Right across the field were The James Barrie Pirates who were all getting ready in their own way, glaring and mocking the team across the field from them.

"They don't look so tough," Chad smirked boastfully over to Ben. "I bet even that dorky Doug Clark could sack that quarterback." 

"They certainly appear to have superseded the standard growth chart, haven't they?" Ben remarked.

"You guys are in my will." Aziz said as he stood between Ben and Chad.

"Man, this is gonna hurt," Jay warned the others. "Good thing Carlos ain't here. Heh... They're all just a bunch of babies who'll never grow up anyway." he then added with his upper body calm, though his knees were shaking.

"Coin Toss!" Coach Jenkins called out as he blew his whistle to bring Ben right over as he stood with the other school's coach, Coach Malcolm, as his star quarterback, Peter Banning himself, stood there with a cocky and evil smirk on his face.

The cheerleaders made their cheer which Mal mostly tuned out. She stared out into the field before Ben looked over and smiled, waving at her.

"Ooh~..." Evie, Jane, Wendy, and Lonnie oohed once they saw that.

"Heh..." Mal smiled nervously and soon waved right back at Ben.

* * *

The game went on for a while and so far, it seemed like The Walter Elias Academy Knights were beating The James Barrie School for Boys' Pirates. Wendy soon got a text on her phone and checked it during all of the excitement and squealed as she saw what it said.

**_"Dear Wendy,_ **

**_I just got your note and I was hoping I could talk to you in private and give you a very big surprise after we first met when we were little kids. Come to the school pool alone at half-time to come and get it and don't tell anyone._ **

**_-Peter."_ **

"What was that?" Jane asked as she looked over, noticing that her best friend was given a text message.

"Oh, uh, nothing~" Wendy giggled and blushed a little bit.

Jane paused thoughtfully before playfully smirking. "It's Peter, isn't it?" she then asked.

"I was asked not to tell anyone." Wendy giggled as she turned all red in the face.

"Ooh... I know what that means~" Jane giggled. "Did he like your note?"

"Okay, but don't tell the others about this." Wendy said before she showed her phone to her best friend.

Jane took a glance at the text before smirking. "Oh, Wendy, you're so lucky~" she then said. "I wish a boy would notice me."

"Don't worry, Jane," Wendy smiled. "Someone will come for you soon enough."

"I really hope so." Jane smiled back.

"Can I borrow your mom's key to get inside the school?" Wendy then asked.

Jane nodded and soon gave it to her with a warm smile and Wendy soon accepted it. The two best friends nodded and continued to watch the game for a while. Mal, Evie, and Lonnie watched along with them, laughing and cheering with the other students in excitement. 

"Look out, girls! Here comes trouble~" Mal chuckled once she saw Peter in action.

* * *

Some time had passed and it was soon time for half-time. Jane told the other girls that Wendy had to take a phone call to cover up and let Wendy keep her secret safe from them unless she wanted to talk about what happened, so the girls met up at the concession stand to get something hot to eat as it was quite cold outside right now.

"Hey, guys, isn't that Tilly?" Mal asked once she saw a certain blonde girl talking to a brown-haired and blue-eyed boy with freckles all over his face. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah... It is..." Evie replied once she took a look.

"I wonder what she's doing with one of those Pirate boys?" Lonnie pondered.

"So, David--" Tilly began.

"Devin." The boy corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tilly replied, obviously failing as she was trying to flirt with him as the other girls simply watched her in action. "So, uh, you wanna get pizza and watch a movie with me?"

"Oh, uh, sure..." Devin blinked. "But I think, uh... I left something on the stove!" he then said before bolting off suddenly.

"Wait! Devin!" Tilly cried out as he suddenly took off running. "Seriously! Is it my breath?"

"Here, lemme smell," Lonnie said before sniffing the air a bit. "Oh! Whoop! Yeah, that's definitely it~"'

"Why, I oughta--" Tilly glared as she came towards Lonnie. "That's it, Army Girl! You're gonna get it!"

"Chill, Till, it was just a joke." Lonnie giggled innocently.

"Hmph." Tilly rolled her eyes as she backed off then.

"Trying to get a boyfriend, Tilly?" Lonnie asked.

"Hm... I tried nearly every boy in school, I thought I'd try a boy from outside of school to try to get an adventure out of it," Tilly shrugged as she crossed her arms. "Doesn't seem to be working."

"Aww... Poor Tilly~" Lonnie said, patting the girl on her head.

"Meh... No big deal," Tilly replied. "I don't need a boyfriend."

"They can be a bit overrated in this day and age." Mal commented as she crossed her arms.

"Why don't you come over to the mansion this weekend?" Evie suggested to Tilly. "We're thinking of maybe getting a special get-together. We can eat snacks, watch movies, talk crap. That sorta thing."

"Ooh... Might wanna watch those C bombs before Mama Mayor comes to bust your ass, Princess Evie~" Tilly smirked.

The other girls giggled a bit.

"What the heck? I'm in," Tilly shrugged. "I feel like the only parties I had fun going to were tea parties with me dad or birthday parties with me mum."

"All right! Tilly's in," Lonnie smiled. "This is gonna be a great weekend for all of us."

"I'll be sure to tell Wendy," Jane smiled back. "Speaking of Wendy, I hope that she's having a lot of fun." she then whispered to herself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Wendy was walking off in the school hallways, glowing and beaming with excitement and had a very jovial smile on her face. "Oh, just imagine... Me alone with Peter Banning~..." she beamed to herself like one of her biggest dreams was about to come true. "I can hardly wait." she then came to the pool doors and opened them up as they were unlocked. 

Peter's voice was heard as he seemed to be talking to someone. Wendy bit her lip as she took a deep breath in and let it out, a bit shakily and all a-flutter. She then looked around as she saw him sitting on the end of the pool as he seemed to be talking.

"Oh, Peter!~" Wendy soon called out once she made it in the room.

"Oh... Hello, there~" Peter smirked as he turned his head over to her. "Hello, Wendy."

Wendy beamed on the inside as he said her name and turned bright red in the face. "I guess you got my note." she then said.

"Yes, and I suppose you've received my text~" Peter smirked as he soon stood up and came towards her, towering over her a bit. 

"Um, yes," Wendy smiled and nodded as she looked up at him. "You said that you had a surprise to give to me."

"Why, yes, I did." Peter nodded with a smirk. 

"Peter... Who's this?" A voice asked from the side. 

Wendy blinked, surprised that they had some company since she was told to come alone, so why didn't he? 

"Oh... This is Wendy," Peter replied. "She goes to this school, you see."

"What're you doing here?" A black-haired girl asked as she walked over to beside Peter.

"And in those tacky clothes too?" A redheaded girl added as she came to Peter's other side.

"What...?" Wendy frowned softly. "Who are you?"

"Oh, don't you recognize The James Barrie Piratettes?" Peter smirked as he walked over to right behind Wendy and suddenly pushed her over to the girls. "My school's cheerleaders... Especially my personal cheerleaders?"

"I-I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Peter..." Wendy said nervously. "I thought we were going to talk in private."

"Oh, so you thought you could talk to _our_ Peter just because this is _your_ school?" A blonde girl asked, coming from under the water in the pool, leaning over a bit.

"How very selfish of you~" The black-haired girl added.

"What? N-N-No, I-I-I-I--" Wendy stammered, feeling very scared and uncomfortable right now.

"Come, dearie, join us for a swim~" The redheaded girl said, pushing Wendy right into the pool.

Wendy screamed and yelped as the other two girls soon jumped into the pool after her, splashing about. She was very unhappy right now and felt terribly humiliated. She even cried to Peter for help and all he could do was laugh at her. 

"As if!" Peter smirked. "As if I could love a homely girl like you."

Wendy frowned as that hurt her very deep inside and she looked ready to cry.

"Oh, there's no need to cry~" Peter cooed before smirking at her. "They're just having a little fun, aren't you, girls?"

"We were only trying to drown her~" The blonde girl smirked a bit.

"It's all good fun~" The redheaded girl added.

"See?" Peter smirked.

Wendy pouted as she came out of the pool and grabbed a towel that was luckily there and soon dried herself clean. 

"Well, she let us in," Peter grinned at the girls. "You know what to do."

"Right, Peter~" The three girls grinned back and nodded at him as they came out of the pool and began to dry themselves off next.

"That'll show those silly knights who the best school is," Peter crossed his arms with a confident smirk. "I'll go round up the boys. We still got a bit more time until half-time is over."

* * *

"Oh, Wendy, there you are, we were wondering--" Evie grinned once she saw the girl before frowning instantly. "What... What happened to you?"

Wendy sniffled and shivered as she wiped her eyes, feeling very cold, wet, and deeply disappointed as she shook her head.

"Wendy... What happened to you?" Jane asked her best friend. "You can tell us... Wendy? Wendy..."

"MEN ARE DIRT!" Wendy soon cried out as she hugged Jane right away and broke down into tears as she shivered.

"Um, we'll take a round of hot chocolates," Mal said as she stepped over to the vendor since they were next in line. "Better make it a double."

The vendor nodded, taking her money, and went to carry out her order as Wendy broke down crying.

"Okay, Wendy, just tell us what happened," Mal said softly. "And we'll see if we can help you."

"Oh... The heck with it... I doubt he cares anymore..." Wendy pouted and sniffled as Jane hugged her best friend to comfort her and warm her up. She then told them everything that just happened through the shivering from depressing tears and the shivering cold pool water she was drenched in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive me for what just happened to Wendy, but I promise that it'll pay off later on and I'll let you know when. There's just enough time here, but I swear that I don't hate Wendy, and I'll make it up to you guys later. Just don't hate me or treat me as the scum of the Earth for this chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

"He did _what_?!" The girls soon asked Wendy in shock once they heard the whole story.

"Wendy... I'm so sorry..." Jane frowned. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I-I'll be fine..." Wendy sniffled and pouted. "It was just stupid of me to think that he actually cared about me after the third grade incident."

"Third Grade incident?" Mal asked out of confusion.

"It's a very long, complicated story, but Wendy tried to kiss Peter back in third grade," Jane said, giving Mal a short summary. "I shouldn't say too much after that."

Wendy soon hugged Jane, crying into her best friend's shoulder.

"Oh... Wendy, I'm so sorry that this had to happen," Mal frowned. "If I could do anything to make it up to you, I would."

"That's okay, Mal," Wendy frowned. "It was just a little accident. It could've happened to anyone."

"It was no accident and you are my friend, so I'm going to help avenge you," Mal shook her head. "I promise you that I will."

"Oh, Mal, that's so nice of you." Evie approved.

"Yeah... I guess it is..." Mal nodded.

"I guess Ben rubbed off on ya." Tilly smirked.

"Heh..." Mal grinned sheepishly and nervously. "It's funny you should mention Ben..."

"Do you want us to call your parents?" Jane asked Wendy.

"No, that's okay," Wendy replied before they were given their hot chocolates and she blew the top of her cup as much as she could before she would take a sip. "Mm... Hot chocolate cures all after all."

"It sure can." Evie smiled and nodded in agreement.

"So you wanna finish the game?" Jane asked her best friend.

"Yes, I think I will," Wendy replied. "Thank you though, Jane."

"Anything for a best friend." Jane beamed.

"At least things are turning up for you, Wendy," Evie replied. "I'm concerned about Graham sometimes."

"Well, he's a sheriff, so his job's bound to be dangerous sometimes." Tilly shrugged.

"No, it's nothing like that." Evie shook her head.

"Do you wanna talk about it, Evie?" Mal asked.

"Well, just for a little bit, but don't say anything to my mom the next time you come over?" Evie sighed before asking to make them promise.

"We promise." The girls nodded.

"Well... He's going out to bars a lot more than usual and not staying home with Mom most of the time," Evie explained. "I know he's a busy man, but sometimes it feels like he's spent less and less time with her, especially after Henry and I have gone to bed. Henry probably doesn't notice, but I feel like Graham is falling out of love with my mom."

"Does he show any signs?" Lonnie asked.

"Well, sometimes at night, they're arguing in bed and he sometimes refuses to come back to our house," Evie explained. "I know I shouldn't get involved, but I just feel like Graham isn't meant for my mom."

"How long have your mom and Graham been together?" Mal asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Feels like a year or two after Henry was brought home," Evie shrugged. "It just seems like he's been in my life a lot more than my dad and you all know what happened to him."

The others nodded as they knew about Daniel Mills, Evie's father, being out of the picture, but they didn't know why or how. They never asked Regina, but it was probably best that they didn't since it was none of their business.

"The first few years were alright," Evie continued. "As much as I liked Graham, I knew he wasn't my father, so I could never love him as much as I loved my dad. Eventually, when Henry started preschool, they started going out and I was a bit cranky because of it and I felt like my mom was trying to replace my dad, but eventually, he grew on me, but still, he didn't feel as fun or great as my dad was."

"Mm..." Tilly nodded. "My Uncle Jefferson had a situation like that once. He told me that he was going to be the one to marry Ms. Emma Swan before Harry's dad 'napped her~"

"Thanks, Tilly," Evie sighed and rolled her eyes. "But... That's about all I can say. I just feel like the love between Mom and Graham is fading away really quickly. I don't wanna assume anything, but personally? I feel like he's cheating."

"Interesting..." Mal frowned. "I'm so sorry about that, Evie."

"It's okay," Evie smiled sadly before sighing. "I don't feel as bad after I told someone about it though, I haven't even told Ruby or Goldie about it and I tell them everything whenever I'm alone with them."

"Well, I feel flattered that I was one of the people that you told." Mal smiled back a bit.

"Us too." Lonnie, Jane, and Wendy added.

Tilly simply nodded in agreement even if she wasn't all that helpful.

"Thanks, you guys," Evie smiled. "Remember, don't tell my mom we talked about this and don't tell Henry or else I'll be grounded until I'm in my 40's."

The other girls simply nodded again to show that she could trust them.

"Good," Evie beamed. "All right, let's get back to the game then, shall we?"

The girls smiled and they soon went to sit back down in their seats.

"Wait a minute!" A voice called out.

"Did you need something, Tilly?" Lonnie asked the blonde girl.

"I didn't say nuthin'." Tilly shrugged.

"Over here..." The voice replied.

The girls then turned around, following the source of the voice and saw that it was someone who was hiding under the bleachers who stepped out, showing to be a rather tall boy wearing a dark green and blue hooded sweatshirt with the letters "JB" on them.

"Who are you...?" Jane blinked.

"Waitaminute..." Tilly rambled as she glared at the tall boy who towered over all of them. "JB? You're one of them James Barrie boys! Come on, girls!" she then told Mal, Evie, Lonnie, Jane, and Wendy to attack the boy.

"Tell Peter to stay away from Wendy or else he'll have to deal with _me_!" Mal glared as her emerald eyes seemed to flash with rage.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Hold it!" The boy said as he held his hands up high. "I come in peace... Really!"

"Yeah, right!" Lonnie scoffed as she soon grabbed the boy suddenly and judo threw him on the ground and stepped on his chest, leaning over him. "You guys are probably cooking up another prank to mess with all of us. So what is it? Toilet paper? Spraypaint? Kidnapping the school mascot?"

"Please, listen..." The boy begged as his graying blue eyes grew wide. "You can trust me... I just wanted to tell the girl something."

The girls all looked at each other before looking back.

"The smaller girl." The boy then said.

The girls looked around again as Jane, Wendy, and Tilly were left behind.

"The smaller blonde girl." The boy then said.

Wendy and Tilly were then standing together.

"...You." The boy then said, giving up as he pointed to Wendy in question.

"Me...?" Wendy blinked before pouting. "Peter sent you here, didn't he? Haven't I suffered enough from his girls trying to drown me in the school pool and he humiliated me in front of them?"

"I had nothing to do with that, you have to believe me and listen to me," The boy begged. "Please... I won't hurt you girls."

"You're as big, tall, and scary as Mr. Hyde!" Jane shrieked. "Of course you're going to hurt us or worse, scare us and embarrass us, especially since you're one of those James Barrie pirate boys!"

The boy frowned as he looked like he was about to cry.

Wendy noticed that and frowned too as she felt her heart aching. "...Let him go." she soon told the other girls.

"What?" The other girls asked in shock.

"Lonnie, get off of him," Wendy decided before thinking of something. "...We'll tie him up first though."

"You wanna talk to him?" Jane asked her best friend.

"I think we should at least listen to what he has to say," Wendy suggested. "After all, everybody deserves a chance, even if he's one of those rotten James Barrie boys."

The girls all looked at each other and shrugged. Mal then found a random jump-rope before picking it up and they took the boy far away from the field and bleachers, tying him up to a far away tree. The boy grunted and yelped a bit as the rope was very tight on him.

* * *

"All right, ya wanker, ya better talk if ya know what's good for ya," Tilly glared at the boy. "State your name and business."

"F-Felix... My name is Felix..." The boy began as he looked down at the slightly smaller girls. "And I mean you girls no harm, especially you, Wendy Darling."

"Hmph... I bet!" Wendy pouted and crossed her arms.

"So what do you want anyway?" Evie demanded. "I should report you to my mother, she's the mayor."

"Ah, yes, I understand," Felix nodded, trying to stay calm. "Wendy, I'm so sorry that Peter did what he did. I can't change that, but I just wanted to apologize to you for him."

"Why would you wanna apologize for him for?" Wendy glared a bit.

"Because... I feel sorry for you," Felix explained. "I knew Peter was going to do this, but I tried to come find you and warn you, but I couldn't find you in time. I didn't want him to know what I was up to though."

"And why not?" Mal then asked firmly.

"Because... Peter and I are best friends," Felix explained lowly. "Or at least we used to be... He treats me more like a sidekick most of the time. I don't know what happened to Peter, but he just plays by his own rules and he never fails. He can smell fear... He's a menace to society and should be sent away to a boarding school in Switzerland or something."

"Yes, Peter was always a bit of a handful when he still lived around here..." Wendy nodded in memory. "We used to have so much fun together when we were little."

"You used to be friends with Peter?" Mal asked Wendy.

"Third Grade incident." Wendy replied.

"Ah..." Mal nodded even if she didn't fully understand that story right now.

"I'm really sorry about what happened to you, Wendy, and if I could change the past, believe me, I would," Felix frowned as he looked ready to cry. "It's just the kind of person Peter is though, he'll never change. He's like a sponge... He just takes and takes and takes and drains others of their love and emotions. He'll just rip your heart out of your chest and crush it to dust."

"Well, he definitely did that to me." Wendy nodded firmly through tear-stained eyes.

"But I would never do that to you, your friends, or anybody," Felix continued before he turned red in the face. "I was kinda hoping we'd be alone when I would explain everything and confess my feelings."

"F-Feelings...?" Wendy grew wide-eyed and blushed. "...What kind of feelings?"

"Erm... I-I-I said too much..." Felix gulped nervously. "Say, I think the game is starting back up. Perhaps you should untie me so we could watch it?" he then suggested.

"Ah, ah, ah, you've already spilled some beans, now you must speak!" Mal tutted with a small smirk.

"Dish us your juicy gossip, Felix," Evie smirked as well. "You clearly wanted more than just to apologize to Wendy."

"Care to share?" Lonnie added slyly.

"Well... Wendy..." Felix blushed a bit more. "...I wanted to tell you how I felt."

Wendy tilted her head as she began to blush too.

"Wendy, you weren't the only one involved in a crush between a high-class young lady and a boy who'll probably never grow up." Felix began to say.

"Oh?" Jane's eyes widened. "Felix... What're you-"

"Shh~" Mal, Evie, and Lonnie shushed Jane.

"Wendy... Peter is no good for you and I want to show you that I can at least try to be better," Felix soon explained as he blushed and suddenly got sweaty. "You don't have to say anything back, but... I like you, Wendy. I really like you like you." he then confessed.

"Oh... O-Oh, Felix..." Wendy blushed. "I had no idea... How long?"

"A very long time," Felix admitted. "I was just scared you wouldn't like me back or find me attractive."

"Oh... Felix... You're very sincere..." Wendy said softly. "I'm sorry we had to tie you up-"

"It's okay, I completely understand," Felix reassured. "A lot of us in school are just a bunch of lost boys and Peter is our ring leader and we always follow the leader wherever he will go."

"So your school's like a political election? I getcha." Mal smirked.

"I'm really, really sorry about what happened, Wendy." Felix said softly as Wendy approached him.

"It's okay, Felix, and you know what?" Wendy replied.

"What?" Felix asked.

Wendy suddenly gave him a kiss on the lips, making his eyes widen as the other girls went "Ooooohhh!~". "I think you're real sweet." she then said.

"Gosh... Thank you, Wendy..." Felix beamed, turning red in the face all over.

"You're very welcome, Felix." Wendy smiled.

A horn was soon sounded from the football field and Wendy began to untie Felix.

"We better hurry back to the game." Jane suggested.

"Right." Mal, Evie, and Lonnie nodded in agreement.

"Come on, Felix," Wendy smiled as she freed the boy. "Let's go cheer our teams on."

"Pirates are better than Knights." Felix smirked playfully.

"Yeah, well, I never saw a pirate brave enough to face a fire-breathing dragon." Wendy smirked back.

"Pirates face dragons!" Felix retorted.

"Yeah... Crocodiles don't count, big boy~" Wendy giggled before she walked off with the girls.

* * *

And so, they came back to finish watching the game and some time passed and it was time for the final hour of the game. It was getting really intense now for both teams.

"This is a nail-biter, folks. There's 47 seconds left on the clock. We're all tied up," An announcer announced as the boys were all looking quite aggressive on the Pirates' side while the Knights began to look nervous and squeamish, except for maybe Jay, who always looked tough and brutal when necessary. "The James Barrie Pirates: 45 and The Walter Elias Fighting Knights: 45. What a game between these two fierce rivals!"

Coach Jenkins and Coach Malcolm soon called for their respective team members. Peter grinned darkly and nearly fiendishly as he eyed the opposite team across from him. A lot of the Walter Elias boys looked a bit nervous and startled by Peter as if he could stare right into their souls.

"Man, that Peter Banning boy is just inhuman." Mal commented.

"Yeah... Rumor has it that he ran away from home when he was a little kid because his parents couldn't deal with him anymore, then when he came back home, they had another baby and he decided to just leave because he thought that they had replaced him." Evie nodded.

"I heard he's actually like a 5,000 year old vampire and sucks the blood from young victims in order to stay young forever so he'll never die or fail." Lonnie added.

"I heard he's the spawn of Satan sent to Earth in human form so he can torment peers and adults for eternity." Tilly smirked.

"Oh, please, those are all just rumors," Jane scoffed before she looked wide-eyed and anxious at the morbid possibility of those being true. "Uh... Aren't they?"

"Here comes Jay!" The announcer soon called out as Lonnie watched him closely, claiming that she was studying the plays, though she seemed to be watching Jay for a different reason. "Jay, hurdling maneuver at mid-field."

"I'm open!" Ben called out.

Jay then tossed the ball over to Ben before he was suddenly tackled by one of the Pirates.

"Jay makes a nice pass to Benny the Beast through the kill zone!" The announcer continued as Ben soon went to run with the ball before he was suddenly tackled. "Ooh! Only to get tackled by The Pirates': Cubby Barrington!"

"Come on, guys!" Coach Jenkins called out to his team as the cheerleaders continued to dance on the sidelines. "Come on, hustle, hustle!"

"23 seconds left. You could cut the tension with a knife," The announcer continued as everyone was in high suspense. "Chad has the ball and soon tosses it over to Ben! Ben has the ball next and soon runs all the way to the end! The 20! The 30! The 40! And it's... It's a touchdown! He scores! Ben French has won it! What an unselfish play by Jay! What a team! Incredible!"

The Walter Elias audience soon cheered as time ran out and their school had won the game.

" **DAMMIT!** " Peter snarled as he grabbed his helmet off of his head and slammed it down to the ground and crossed his arms in mild frustration.

Chad was soon shown to be laughing and pointing at him, looking more mature in comparison.

"An absolutely wonderful end to one of the best games ever with a score of 50 to 45!" The announcer cheered along with them as Coach Malcolm looked like he was throwing a childish temper tantrum. "Here they come, folks. The winners of the second to last football game of the semes-"

"Excuse me. Excuse me. Can I have your attention, please?" Ben called as he rushed by, taking the microphone. "There's something I'd like to say. I'm gonna let you finish, sir." he then told the announcer.

Soon, the crowd stopped cheering temporarily.

"What is he doing?" Evie wondered.

"Hopefully something that'll calm down Audrey for a while." Tilly rolled her eyes a bit.

"Gimme an 'M'!" Ben soon called out through the microphone.

"M!" The crowd called back.

"Gimme an 'A'!"

"A!"

"Gimme an 'L'!"

"What does that spell?!"

"MAL!"

Mal soon sunk in her seat as everyone else in the stands cheered her name. This had to be the most embarrassing moment in her entire life.

"Come on, I can't hear you!" Ben smiled.

"MAL!" The crowd cheered again.

"I love you, Mal! Did I mention that?" Ben smiled as he looked into the crowd to find the girl of his dreams.

The crowd beamed and gushed for Mal as she covered her face awkwardly.

"Oh, for Pity's sake..." Peter scoffed and shook his head. "I don't see what the big fuss is... Pfft... She's just a big ugly girl with purple hair..."

Audrey whimpered from the cheerleading squad and soon ran away as she felt humiliated, but in a different way. Even though Ben was her ex right now, she felt deeply crushed.

"Gimme a beat!" Ben soon told the marching band.

"Uno, dos, tres, quatro!" Doug soon counted in Spanish and strummed up the band.

"Oh, Mal..." Evie frowned as her friend looked very humiliated and sickly.

Ben soon began to sing a song from his heart for Mal, but for her sake, I'm going to spare you the details of the song and any more about it.

* * *

Eventually, Shang drove by and picked up the girls. They didn't say anything more about what Ben did around Mal as she looked deathly embarrassed about it as she stared out the window. Evie frowned softly, but also felt confused, especially since Mal was supposed to be Ben's girlfriend and she was sure her new friend would've found the song and dance to be sweet even if it was a bit cheesy and mortifying. Wendy seemed to be in a much better and happier mood as she was playing on her phone. Overall, it was a very interesting night and it was going to get even more interesting, not to mention when they would head back to school.

"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Hau Li!" Evie called out as she was dropped off in front of the mansion and brought out her house key and unlocked the door before coming on inside.

Evie did her very best to be quiet and tiptoed a bit before looking into the dining room to hear a very sad, crying sound. Even though her mother rarely cried if ever, Evie could tell that her mother was deeply upset about something and decided to go and check on her. Regina wore a thinly strapped black dress with a white pearl necklace and wore her darker lipstick and had on short-heeled black shoes. In front of her was a fused out candelabra and two servings of a roast beef dinner with potatoes, green beans, and two glasses of sparkling cider.

"Mom...?" Evie called lightly.

Regina let out a startled gasp and shot up in her seat before looking over. "Oh! Evie... You scared me..." she then said, putting her hand to her heart and wiped her eyes with her other hand. "Did you just get home?"

"Yes, ma'am," Evie nodded. "...You okay?"

"Oh... I'm fine..." Regina sighed sharply, though she sounded the exact opposite.

"Henry asleep?" Evie guessed.

"He's spending the night at Mr. Nolan's from the animal shelter," Regina said as she wiped her eyes. "Graham called as soon as you left with Mr. Hua Li and offered that we have some dinner together."

"And let me guess, he never showed up?" Evie guessed as she crossed her arms.

"Well... Y-Yes... I'm afraid so," Regina sighed. "I've been waiting for four hours."

Evie sucked her teeth and pouted. "Oh, Mom... Why didn't you call him?" she then asked.

"I didn't want to seem desperate," Regina replied. "Well... I guess I'll just put this food in the fridge now and get some sleep and I highly suggest that you do the same. I'll probably call Graham tomorrow if he isn't too busy at the sheriff's station."

"Mom... I wanna tell you something, but I don't want you to take it the wrong way." Evie frowned a bit.

"Evie, you know you can tell me anything," Regina said as she stood up and went to put the cold dinner plates in the fridge. "Whatever's on your mind, you can just say it. I won't be mad or upset about it."

"I-It's about Graham..." Evie said, trying to find the bravery to say what she wanted to say.

Regina glanced back at Evie then. "...Yes?" she then asked. "Did you see him at the game?"

"No, Mom... Nothing like that..." Evie shook her head before she sat down in the seat across from her mother.

Regina then decided to sit back down across from Evie after putting the food away in the fridge. "Well, go on," she then said. "Tell me what's on your mind."

Evie heaved a sharp sigh. "...I don't really like him."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Mom, but I don't think he's right for you," Evie tried to explain. "I know you think he's great and he takes good care of us, especially looking out for me and Henry, but-"

"But what?" Regina asked. "You hate him?"

"I don't hate him! Really!" Evie insisted, trying to stay strong and bold. "...I just don't think he's the right guy for you. Think about it, he doesn't spend much time with you anymore. Ruby even said that when he had a late call at the office that she saw him at the local bar playing darts."

"I'd like to know what your underaged friend was doing around the bar late into the evening, Evie..." Regina replied coldly as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, Mom, don't be like that..." Evie sighed sharply. "You know what? Never mind."

"What?" Regina sounded firm now. "Why do I have to never mind it?"

"Just forget I even said anything," Evie said as she stood up and went to go up to her room. "I'm tired anyway."

"...Okay, bye." Regina replied, sounding a bit sharp.

"Fine..." Evie pouted.

"You know, I don't find that tone cute and I don't find it funny either," Regina warned her daughter. "That sort of behavior isn't like you, Evie."

"Mom, I'm sorry, I tried to talk down to you and to have you listen to me, but you're just making it hard," Evie frowned. "I'm just not sure if Graham is the right guy for you and I wish you would see my side of this."

"Evie, you're too young to understand," Regina sighed. "I do think going to bed right now is a good idea though."

"...Okay," Evie replied with narrowed eyes. "We're probably just over tired anyway."

Regina nodded as she then went to go to her bedroom.

"...Good night." Evie said softly.

"Bye." Regina replied sharply.

"Mom... Why won't you listen to me?" Evie sighed to herself as she went to get some sleep, heading off to her bedroom as she changed out of her school clothes and right into her pajamas. "Maybe she'll be in a better mood tomorrow..." she then sighed, deciding to not let her theory about Graham rest, but kept it to herself for right now. Hopefully the weekend was going to be better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did my best for the football commentary and unfortunately couldn't get a hold of my older brother and father who are sports enthusiasts to help me out with this chapter, but anyway, this story isn't all about football, so I hope you understand my dilemma and forgive me for that. My goal to end this story is hopefully by December 31st, 2020 (RIP Adobe Flash games btw, I am not looking forward to that... My childhood is going further away from me and I won't be able to even use Flashpoint with the Wayback Machine. Hopefully though 2021 is at least a somewhat better year than 2020 was... Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story so far despite the hiccups of teen angst and parental drama which will come to an end very soon. Remember to Read & Review though!


	17. Chapter 17

It was Saturday morning throughout Auradon Heights. Everyone looked forward two days of sleeping in, staying up late, and doing whatever they wanted as they didn't have to worry about school during their absence, unless they were given homework over the weekend which was never really easy to do despite Friday being a good day to get it done and over with, not needing to worry about it later. Evie was a bit excited as today was even the day for the party she was going to have with some school friends, though she didn't say anything and waited for some time to pass until she would talk with her mother about it so she could cool down due to what had happened between them last night.

"Evie? Evie..." A young voice soon called.

"Henry?" Evie replied as she soon yawned and stretched before she saw Henry standing beside her bed as she slid up her sleepmask to see him, rubbing her left eye sleepily. "You want some breakfast?"

"Yes, please," Henry nodded. "...I'd make my own breakfast, but Mom would probably ground me for a while after burning the house down."

"Yes, I think so too," Evie chuckled lightly as she laid down her sleepmask and crawled out of bed to come and stand up next to him. "What would you like this morning?"

"Can you make that standing up egg breakfast you made for me one time on my birthday?" Henry smiled sheepishly. "Eggs with knights?"

Evie giggled a little. "Eggs with soldiers." she then corrected.

"Yeah, that," Henry nodded. "Could I have eggs with soldiers?"

"I don't know," Evie smirked playfully. "'Could' you?"

"...May I have eggs with soldiers, please?" Henry soon corrected himself.

"You may," Evie cooed before she hugged her little brother suddenly and planted a kiss right on his forehead. "Such good manners for a nice young prince-in-training."

Henry chuckled and blushed from the kiss a bit. "Evie~"

"It's your own fault, Henry," Evie smirked as they soon left her bedroom to go downstairs into the kitchen. "You just had to be born so adorable and so darn loveable~"

Henry chuckled a bit and the two Mills siblings soon went to go and get breakfast taken care of. "Mom says you're having a party," he then said to his big sister. "Am I invited?"

"Yes, you are, but you have to remember to be on your best behavior," Evie nodded. "Mom and I also made sure that if people have younger brothers and sisters to let them come over too so you have someone to play with."

Henry's smile disappeared briefly.

"What's wrong?" Evie frowned. "Won't that be fun for you? You could maybe make some new friends."

"...I don't know," Henry said softly. "I don't think I'm ever going to make friends, Evie. No one in school seems to like me."

"Come on, Henry, don't say that," Evie cooed as she began to get the eggs boiled after she brought out a pot and filled it with water and the eggs as followed. "You're a very lovely and likeable kid."

Henry shook his head. "I don't think I belong in Auradon Heights to be honest with you," he then said. "I just feel like I'm not meant to be here... Like I shouldn't exist here and I should be somewhere else."

"Henry..." Evie frowned.

"I think that I was adopted," Henry said softly. "Where else did I come from? Graham's not your father and he's definitely not mine."

"Henry... I know it's tough being a kid and not having anyone to call your friend," Evie said softly as she took his hands gently and carefully. "Believe it or not, when I was younger, I didn't have many friends either until I met that boy Carlos. You like Carlos, remember?"

"...Yeah, Carlos is cool," Henry admitted softly. "But didn't you have a big birthday party when you were six-years-old?"

"That may be so, Henry, but Mom just sent out invitations to everybody that she could," Evie explained. "Did you know that Mom invited everybody to my party because I was home-schooled back then?"

"...Really?" Henry blinked. "Even though Mom's the mayor?"

"Yes, she is the mayor now, but she wasn't always," Evie nodded. "It's a very long story, but yes. I was very shy and quiet too around others, so she threw that party and invited everybody's children to come along so that I could make some new friends. It just happened naturally with Carlos and he became like a brother to me before you were born."

"Wow..." Henry whispered with a small smile. "How'd you two become friends? What did you talk about? Tell me exactly how it went so that I know what to do so I can make new friends just like you."

"Oh, Henry... It doesn't work that way." Evie chuckled a little.

"It doesn't...?" Henry frowned softly.

"It's just different for everyone," Evie shrugged before giving a small supportive smile. "When you get a connection with someone, it just happens. Besides, don't you know those Zimmer twins from your class? Ava and Nicholas?"

"They put candy in my backpack when I was at Mr. Clark's pharmacy and pretended to be my friend so that they could get away with taking that candy." Henry shook his head.

"Oh..." Evie said softly. "Erm... Isn't there a girl your age in class named Grace?" she then suggested.

"The closest we've talked was being partners for Mr. Jekyll's Science Class, but we don't seem to have a lot in common." Henry replied.

"Dang..." Evie winced before she gasped and suddenly rushed over to the stove and took care of the appliances that had steam coming out from them before grinning sheepishly. "Heh... I dunno about you, but I think Mom would ground me for life if I burned the house down."

"Yeah, you don't wanna do that." Henry advised.

Both chuckled a bit, lightening the mood a little together and smiling fondly at each other across from each other.

"The point is, Henry, you'll find the right friend soon enough," Evie advised as she was almost ready to plate the food for her little brother. "They'll come to you and it'll work out just fine. My theory is that if your social skills aren't worked with properly around someone, like you have almost nothing in common... Then you're not meant to be friends with that person, but if you feel a spark and talk happily and even laugh together, you'll become friends."

"You really think that I can make my own friends, Evie?" Henry asked.

"Of course I do, Henry," Evie smiled. "And I know that you're a very likable and loveable kid. After all, we kept you, didn't we?" she then added with a teasing smirk.

"Didn't you try to sell me to Ben French's uncle one time?" Henry smirked back.

"Ah, ah, ah! We don't talk about that~" Evie smirked as they both laughed again and she soon plated up his food. "Just give this party a chance, Henry. I'm sure that it'll turn out just fine in the end."

"I sure hope so, Evie." Henry nodded in agreement.

Evie smiled warmly then and soon brought the plate down to her younger brother after it was ready. "And here we go," she then said. "Egg soldiers and bacon for Prince Henry of Mills Manor."

"Looks scrumptious, Princess Evie of Mills Manor," Henry nodded, trying to sound prim and proper. "I look forward to ingesting it and helping you get ready for your party tonight."

"Good boy." Evie smiled warmly and kissed his forehead before she went to get herself some breakfast and get him a glass of his favorite juice to go with his breakfast.

Henry beamed as he soon went to tuck into his breakfast, lightly cracking the shells off of the soft boiled eggs. Evie smiled and soon went back to doing what she was doing.

* * *

All of the teenagers throughout town were all in excitement and in a buzz for the party tonight. Uma smirked as she had Harry and Gil text everybody after she was given the go-ahead from Mal even if that wasn't the true intention at first as it was going to be a party to remember for sure, but it would soon spell disaster later on. Of course, this was unknown to Mal, Evie, Henry, and especially Regina since she was getting ready for her evening out planned with her associate, Mr. Glass, and of course, Graham's company. She felt bad about the spat that she and Evie had last night and promised to make it up to Evie in the future when she didn't have so much work to worry about for a while. Hopefully when The New Year comes in a few months, things will be better for both of them as they never had a complicated relationship before and knew better after last night not to do what she did with Evie last night.

She could already hear her mother's voice nagging her about how to raise her children properly and did her best to ignore the words as she concentrated on getting ready to where she was needed tonight. After breakfast, Evie and Henry began to clean everything up around the manor for the company that they would be given later tonight, both quivering and shivering with anticipation.

* * *

"Now, Henry, Evie, I want you two to remember to be a good young man and good young woman while I'm gone." Regina reminded as she reached into her wallet.

"We will, Mom." Evie and Henry promised.

"When you invite your friends over, you can have pizza." Regina then said, bringing out a 50 dollar bill.

"Sounds great, Mom," Evie smiled as she accepted the money since she was the older one. "I think I'll call Mal right now."

"Are you leaving now, Mom?" Henry asked as his sister walked away then.

"Not right now, but around 5:00," Regina replied. "I just want to make sure you understand how big of a deal this is. You're both growing up so fast."

"I know, Mom," Henry smiled bashfully. "It'll be okay though. Evie won't let anything bad happen."

"I should hope so, yes." Regina smiled back and nodded.

"So can I have an extra-large pizza with extra pepperoni?" Henry smirked.

"That's up to Evie now," Regina smirked back. "Just don't give your sister a hard time."

"Yes, ma'am." Henry nodded.

"Mal... Are you ready to par-tay?" Evie smiled in excitement once she picked up her cell phone and called her new best friend.

"Are you kidding? This is going to be great!" Mal smiled back on the other line. "I'm gonna come by early though to help you set up, so call or text me as soon as your mom's gone."

"Can do, Mal," Evie nodded. "I get to spend Saturday night with my new best friend and not a threat in sight!"

Mal and Evie were both very excited and eager about later tonight. Henry was excited too though because he got to have a party with the big kids and he was looking very hopeful about making some new friends even though he was the shy, quiet, lonely kid in his class. It seemed like his only real friend was Ms. Blanchard and she was his teacher, though the woman was very kind and sweet, almost like a second mother most of the time. She always had the sweet and loving capability of being another mother to the children she taught in class so it was no wonder that former students of hers such as Ben or Evie would visit her before classes to remember the good old days of when they were young and more naïve.

* * *

Some time had passed and it was soon getting close to sunset. Mal had shown up and was reading a book that Evie recommended for her class with Ms. Porter by an author by the name of Isaac Heller.

"So... When are we gonna get those snacks?" Henry asked the girls.

"After Mom leaves we'll see about dinner," Evie replied. "Don't worry though, we'll get you something special like that pizza."

"I just love pizza," Henry smiled. "It's delicious, cheesy and doesn't lie."

"I hear that." Mal smirked as she glanced up from her book for a moment.

There was soon a knock on the door. The three just wondered if it had to be one of the party guests before Regina stepped down, wearing her best make-up and clothes as she came to get the door.

"Oh, Mom... You're all dolled up..." Evie commented. "That's pretty fancy for an evening with Sheriff Graham."

Regina chuckled sheepishly as she blushed warmly. "You don't think it's too much, do you?" she then asked.

"Hmm..." Evie paused thoughtfully as she stepped in front of her mother, looking up and down at her. "That blush really makes the dark lipstick pop, so I think it works for you. As long as you don't wanna end up looking like Carlos's mother or that weird Medusa lady."

The Mills family all shuddered together. Mal chuckled a bit, finding that funny that they all shared a reaction to something they all found repulsive and disgusting. She just wished she could be close with her own family like that. Regina soon took a deep breath and answered the door as Graham was there and he stepped inside.

"Oh... Regina... You look ravishing..." Graham commented as he eyed Regina up and down.

"Oh, go on..." Regina smiled warmly.

"No really, go on, she could have an ego inflated enough to be in a Thanksgiving parade." Evie teased her mother.

"Evie!" Regina gasped, though didn't sound too outraged so it must have had been playful.

"Mother~" Evie smirked innocently.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing I brought this over." Graham then said as he brought out a radiant red rose.

"Oh... Graham... How chivilarous~" Regina beamed and blushed again as she accepted the flower and sniffed it a bit. "And it's red... I just love red roses."

"I know that you do," Graham smiled bashfully. "So, shall we get going?"

"Just a minute," Regina told him before going over to the kids one last time. "Well, I think that's it," she began to tell Evie and Henry, though mostly Evie. "You have both our cell-phone numbers, all emergency contacts, and the number of where we'll be tonight with Mr. Glass. What do you plan on doing tonight?" she then asked.

"We just thought we'd have a few friends over," Evie replied. "Like Mal of course and maybe Lonnie, Jane, and Wendy. I dunno about Tilly though."

"Tilly's a trip." Mal smirked to herself.

"Sure!" Regina smiled. "Just remember... Don't turn it into a wild party."

"Oh, gee, Evie, I think we have to cancel the Death Metal band and the fire dancers." Mal soon said.

"What?!" Regina's dark brown eyes widened.

"She's just kidding," Evie grinned nervously and sheepishly chuckled, nudging her friend as a warning. "You just have a good evening and we'll see you later, Mom."

"All right, I'll try not to be back home too late," Regina said with a small smile. "Remember, Evie, you're in charge."

"Mind your sister and her friend, Henry." Graham added as he went to escort Regina out the door, linking arms with her.

"Bye!" Mal, Evie, and Henry called, waving the adults off out the door as they went to leave for the evening.

"Live from Auradon Heights, it's Saturday night!" Henry beamed.

Mal and Evie laughed a little to that as they came back inside and shut the door behind them as Graham and Regina left.

"This is going to be the coolest party," Mal beamed. "No adults, no worries, no problem."

"I'm just excited to be apart of it," Henry said to them. "I hope I can meet some friends."

"You will, Henry, I promise," Evie smiled. "You'll make at least one new friend, I'm sure of it."

Henry smiled back, looking very hopeful.

* * *

They soon walked down the sidewalk as Evie locked the door and soon ordered a couple of pizzas from a place called Pizzeria Bella Notte on the way to The Dark Star Pharmacy as Mal and Henry began to think of party snacks to pick up.

"We're agreed?" Evie asked Mal and Henry. "Pepperoni on one pizza and cheese on the other?"

"That should work, yeah." Henry nodded.

"Works for me." Mal agreed.

"Okay, good." Evie smiled and soon went to finish up the order as they continued down the street together.

"So nachos and dip?" Henry suggested.

"Sure, as long as no one double dips." Mal nodded.

"Wasabi?" Henry then asked.

"Uh... Okay..." Mal shrugged.

"Mustard?" Henry then asked.

"Are you just trying to see if I'm paying attention or not?" Mal smirked.

Henry smiled sheepishly and bashfully.

"Little brothers..." Mal playfully scoffed and shook her head. "I don't think I could handle one."

"Oh, you don't know, Mal, you'd probably be a good big sister if you were given the chance." Evie reassured warmly.

Mal smiled before looking distant and sighed softly as she thought about Lily again. Evie distracted Henry a bit so that he wouldn't ask what was going on with Mal since she knew the truth and only her. They soon continued down the street as Henry stood between the girls and they soon ran into two familiar boys from school, including a cute young blonde girl in the middle who was licking a lollipop with big pink ribbons in her hair. The two boys were none other than Chad Princely and Ben French.

"Hey, what's up?" Ben asked as he pointed around Henry in confusion, wondering what he was doing there. "I thought you were having a party tonight."

"There's still gonna be a party," Mal replied. "We just gotta have fun with the kids too like Henry here. You can come too, sweetie." she then added to the little blonde girl, kneeling a bit to her height.

"Don't breathe my air." The blonde girl hissed as she rolled her eyes.

"Ah! Hahahaha... Kids..." Chad grinned nervously around Evie and put his arm around the little blonde girl. "They just say the darndest things, don't they?"

"Uh... Yeah, they do..." Evie smiled dreamily as she played with her hair, biting her lip a little bashfully. "Is this your little sister?"

"Yes, my Alex..." Chad nodded. "Maybe our little sibs can dance together at your party?~"

Mal, Ben, and Henry all rolled their eyes at Chad's attempts at flirting with Evie which were somehow working.

"Sure, Chad, I'll save a dance with you~" Evie swooned.

"I love the sound of that," Chad smiled. "This is going to be the best party ever."

Evie giggled and rubbed her arm.

"Well, see you at the party I guess," Ben said. "Mal, maybe we could share a dance together too? Clarice can't come to the party though." he then added.

"Really?" Mal asked curiously. "Why not? I mean... She's your little sister."

"Yeah, but she wasn't feeling that good last night, so Aunt Lacey's gonna look after her," Ben replied. "Looks like it'll just be you and me and no babysitting at the party tonight."

"Great..." Mal seemed to force a grin on her face. "Just you and me with no interruptions from the little rugrats."

"Yeah..." Ben smiled. "I'm looking forward to dancing with you later, Mal."

"See you boys at the party soon~" Evie beamed in excitement.

And soon, the boys walked off down the street with the younger girl as the other three soon went to go and check out the pharmacy.

"So, you think you wanna be friends with Chad's little sister?" Evie smiled hopefully at Henry. "It'd be so cute~... If you two fell in love, we could go on double dates at like Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack!"

"Actually, Evie, I don't think it'll work out between me and Alexandra." Henry shrugged nervously.

"Oh... You never know," Evie smiled. "Now, let's get some sodas, snacks, and anything else to go with that pizza, huh?"

"Sure... Okay." Henry nodded.

* * *

They soon stepped inside the pharmacy to pick up what they needed. Mr. Clark greeted and waved at them before suddenly sneezing and took out his tissue to blow his nose.

"All right, let's load up on stuff for the party," Mal said as she grabbed some chips. "I hope you have enough money."

"Unless we should put our money together and get what we can here and still have enough for pizza?" Henry suggested.

"I kinda like Henry's idea better." Evie smiled sheepishly.

"Oh... That's cool," Mal nodded. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Evie and Henry playfully rolled their eyes as they bought the chips, drinks, and some bite-sized brownies as a little dessert. Mr. Clark soon rang them up before sneezing a bit more.

"Ugh... Is that guy allergic to everything?" Mal complained.

"More or less, yeah." Evie nodded. "Henry, remember to pick out one snack that you really want and be sure to share with the others."

"Okay, Evie." Henry smiled and nodded as he went to get some packaged cupcakes as he didn't care much for candy.

"Not much of a candy eater, is he?" Mal asked Evie.

"Not really," Evie replied. "The only candy he probably eats is chocolate. Can you believe we saw Chad with Ben though?" she then smiled and blushed warmly. "He is just too much~"

"He's too much of something alright." Mal narrowed her eyes snarkily.

Eventually, they bought everything they needed and still had enough to afford the pizzas.

"Thanks, Mr. Clark." Evie smiled once they paid for their party fee.

"Y-You're welcome... E-Evie... H-Have a nice... D-D-D--ACHOO! Day..." Mr. Clark replied, in mid-sneeze, smiling bashfully at them.

"You better not have sneezed on me." Mal narrowed her eyes in warning.

"S-Sorry... Allergies..." Mr. Clark sniffled as he soon blew his nose and waved the kids off. "Get home safely now."

"Thanks." Mal, Evie, and Henry replied and soon stepped outside of the store to head back to the mansion as quickly as possible.

"Oh, look, Mal..." Evie smiled as they stopped in front of a dress shop that had a cute purple and pink dress on display with a matching beret on the mannequin. "Just imagine wearing something like that to a party... Ms. Edna Mode has really outdone herself again~"

"Who the heck is Edna Mode?" Mal asked.

Evie gasped dramatically.

"Here we go." Henry rolled his eyes playfully.

"You never heard of Edna Mode?!" Evie asked.

"No, Evie, I totally know who she is and I was asking to be ironic." Mal smirked.

"Hmph," Evie glared at the snarky sarcasm before shaking her head and deciding to ignore it. "Anyway... Edna Mode is one of the most brilliant minds in all of fashion~" she then said, gushing in excitement. "I just love her work and she is just simply amazing," she then sighed. "I'd give anything to work for her someday~"

Mal didn't care a deal for fashion, but she had a small smile for her new best friend, reaching out and patting her on the back. "Well, Evie, I'm sure that someday you will," she then said. "You have quite a passion for fashion."

"Heh... So you've noticed..." Evie beamed warmly. "She's just... So amazing."

"Right then." Mal nodded.

"C'mon, Evie, let's get back to the house and order that pizza before the guests have a chance to show up." Henry suggested as his older sister got lost in her own thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, right..." Evie blinked and nodded. "Let's get going."

Mal and Henry both chuckled as Evie blushed bashfully as they soon went back over to the mansion.

"Henry, could you help Mal arrange the stuff?" Evie asked once they came inside. "I'll call and order the pizza."

"Okay, Evie," Henry nodded. "Come on, Mal. Follow me."

"Sure thing, kid." Mal replied as she followed after the little kid into the kitchen.

Evie smiled and soon went to place the order for pizza. It was inching closer and closer to party time. Henry was telling Mal about how he was hoping to make some new friends at the party since he never really had one before and Mal could understand as she had one friend back in her old hometown and how she was close to someone "like an older sister" too, deciding not to tell him too much about Lily. At least, not yet.

* * *

Eventually, the pizza came as Mal, Evie, and Henry watched _Mickey's Creek_ on the TV to pass the time as everything was set up. It was now almost party time as the evening began to blanket the town in darkness.

"Man, why does Donald keep going back to Daisy?" Mal rolled her eyes. "He should just go with that exchange student, Xandra. At least she cares about him and tries to listen to him."

"Girl, I don't even know," Evie shook her head. "I'd never treat a boy like that. You ever have an old boyfriend you do that to?"

"I never had a boyfriend," Mal smirked. "My dad would just scare them away and threaten to release the hounds."

Mal and Evie laughed together then.

"Why do so many teenagers like this show?" Henry asked. "I feel sick to my stomach just watching this."

"It's a teenager thing," Evie said to him. "You may be very mature for your age, but I guess all this kissing and teen drama is too much for you right now."

"I never wanna grow up." Henry shuddered.

"Then I don't want you to either," Evie smiled as she soon headlocked him. "Can't you just get a little bit older on your birthday, get a job around town, and stay here with me and Mom forever?"

"I'll try, Evie," Henry chuckled a bit as Mal smiled softly towards the sibling bond as she thought about Lily and how close they were back in the day. "If you're not too busy with fashion designer Edna Mode, you have to promise to keep in touch with me."

"Deal." Evie smiled and nodded then.

Mal chuckled softly as she watched Evie and Henry's bond, sighing softly as it just reminded her of the good old days when she still had Lily around and before she and her mother moved away. Though remembering won't bring those happy days back and she just wished those days could come back once more. Soon enough, the pizza came and so did the guests. At the door was Lonnie, Jay, Carlos, Ben, Doug, who had a younger blonde girl with him with her hair done in twin ponytails, Chad, Audrey, Coraline, even Ruby, and Ivy.

"Oh, hey, come on in!" Evie smiled at the guests. "The party's just started."

"We'll just have to wait a bit for pizza." Mal added.

The guests soon came on inside as requested.

"Ruby, what're you doing here?" Evie asked the older girl. "I thought you were grounded."

"What Granny doesn't know won't hurt me." Ruby shrugged as she soon walked on inside.

"You sure you don't mind partying with us little kids?" Mal asked since Ruby was older than them.

"No way," Ruby smirked. "I never miss a good party."

"You have a little sister, David?" Evie asked Doug once she saw the younger girl with him.

"Uh... Yeah... It's Doug though," Doug smiled bashfully. "Actually, she's my little cousin from my Uncle Leroy. I hope that's okay."

"Oh, I'm sure Henry will get along with her," Evie nodded. "So this is my cousin, Deidre," Doug soon introduced. "But everybody calls her Dee Dee."

"Dee Dee... What a cute name," Evie beamed. "Henry, come over and say hello to Drake's little sister."

"Uh, it's Doug actually..." Doug corrected nervously.

Henry soon came over to meet Dee Dee. The two looked at each other for a while before smiling together as they both looked hopeful about becoming friends with each other which was already a good start, Evie could tell.

"We'll just serve these chips and some of these cookies until the pizza shows up." Evie suggested as she took out two big bowls and emptied one chip bag as Mal found a box of cookies.

* * *

Everyone else sat down in the living room. Mal and Evie soon came in with the bowl of chips and the box of cookies. Everyone helped themselves to some snacks, but there was no music and everyone just looked at each other in awkward silence.

"Wow! ...This party is really happening... NOT!" Audrey commented sarcastically.

Coraline giggled to that.

"That is so 1990's." Mal rolled her eyes at what Audrey said to sound cool. 

"How 'bout some tunes?" Ben suggested.

"Excellent idea," Audrey smirked as she stood up and approached him. "Let's dance~"

"Careful, Mal, Audrey's moving in on your boyfriend!" Evie warned.

Eventually, some music began to play and the party got a little more lively.

"So... Dance... Wanna?" Jay asked Lonnie.

"I guess so." Lonnie shrugged with a small smile and took him by the hand as they stood up and danced with some others.

"Oh, please, Audrey, dance with me~" Chad said hopefully.

"...Fine." Audrey rolled her eyes and danced with him instead.

Mal and Evie soon came back out and began to join in on the dancing. Henry and Dee Dee shrugged at each other and soon danced together which the girls found to be cute looking.

"This food is so boring." Ivy complained as she ate a chip.

"Got anything else?" Coraline asked Evie.

"Some pizza is on the way." Evie promised.

And as if on cue, the doorbell soon rang.

"Oh, there's some soda in the basement." Evie just remembered before she went to go and answer the door.

"So there's a big family banquet for the big game against Sherwood before the semester ends," Ben said to Mal hopefully. "It'd be pretty nice if went together, don't you think?"

"Uh... Maybe..." Mal simply blinked.

"You know, you and me..." Ben emphasized.

"Yeah, I heard you..." Mal nodded as Audrey got madder and madder in the background as she nearly turned as red as a tomato, though no one paid attention to her.

"Like a date and to show my parents." Ben smiled.

"Oh, look! The other side of the room." Mal suddenly said and suddenly walked that way.

"...Yeah, okay, you think about it," Ben nodded. "I guess it's obvious that you'll go with me. I mean... You're my girlfriend after all."

Mal flinched at the "G" word before shaking her head and simply continued to go off while she still held her tongue. Audrey let out a very pained and frustrated outburst, but no one heard her over the music. Evie smiled as she answered the door and soon opened it up to see the pizza delivery girl.

* * *

"Two pizzas for the Mills mansion, one cheese, one pepperoni." The delivery girl said as she held two boxes.

"Ah, yes, of course," Evie smiled and nodded as she took the pizzas and gave the delivery girl the money. "Thank you. Have a nice evening." she then said, about to shut the door.

"Oh, no... I think you'll let me in." The delivery girl smirked a bit.

"Huh?" Evie blinked as she stepped back before she took another look at the delivery girl and recognized her instantly. "Wait... UMA?!"

"Sup, Princess Mayor?" Uma smirked as she opened the door all the way and soon came inside with Gil and Harry.

"...What are you guys doing here?" Evie blinked and suddenly looked pale in her face.

"Oh, we heard there was a party, little mermaid, so we thought we'd step inside for a spell~" Harry grinned as he came beside Uma's right side.

"Yeah, and to say hi too." Gil added, a bit oafishly as he stood beside Uma's left side.

Uma and Harry narrowed their eyes at him.

"...Was it something I said?" Gil asked in confusion.

"Oh, it sure is cold outside and Mom's not home tonight," Uma innocently said to Evie. "You don't wanna send us out in the cold, do you?"

"Aye, my old man and lady are out this evening too." Harry added.

"Coincidentally, my parents are also out," Gil replied before narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Say, you don't think there's a grown-up party going on that we don't know about, do you?"

"...Well, since you're already here," Evie said nervously as she came to set the pizza down. "I suppose you could come inside for a little bit."

"SWEET!" Uma grinned. "C'mon, boys... Let's have some fun."

"Why don't I like the way you said that?" Evie replied nervously.

"Evie... I'm thirsty..." Henry frowned as she came over to his older sister.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Hold up..." Uma narrowed her eyes once she saw Henry and Dee Dee together. "What's with the hush puppies?"

"Sorry, I have to look after him and Darwin brought his little cousin too," Evie replied. "I'm gonna get the pizza ready. Uma, could you do me a favor and go down to the basement with them to get some sodas? I have my hands full right now. Henry will tell you where to go."

"Sure... You can trust me, Evie," Uma nodded. "After all, Mal trusts me."

"I hope I can too." Evie sighed as she knew how Uma could be, not wanting her here, but didn't want to be rude to kick her, Harry, and Gil out as Harry came over to the other girls hopefully, trying to make them kiss him, but they seemed horrified and kept running away from him while Gil tried to show off how strong he was to them since that almost always worked for his father.

"Come on, Uma," Henry said. "We'll show you where to go."

"We?" Dee Dee blinked.

"You can learn too, Dee Dee." Henry offered.

"Oh. Okay then." Dee Dee nodded then.

Henry soon led the way with Dee Dee and Uma behind him over to the basement door. Dee Dee flinched, feeling nervous as Henry opened the door to the dark and scary basement down below.

"Don't worry, the light's at the bottom of the steps," Henry told Dee Dee. "Just grab my shirt and I'll lead you down."

"You guys come back up with the sodas and I'll meet you up here." Uma said then.

"All right then." Dee Dee replied.

"By the way, be very careful," Henry warned. "The door locks on the other side."

"That's what I was hoping for." Uma smirked to herself.

"What?" Henry and Dee Dee asked.

"I said 'I hope you make it back okay'." Uma then said.

Henry and Dee Dee soon continued down and Henry pulled on a string to turn on the light for both him and Dee Dee to see. "It's going to be okay," he then told the girl as he took her by the hand. "The sodas should be right here. Hopefully Uma can help us carry them out the door safely."

"Henry, I don't trust Uma," Dee Dee whispered. "I think she's up to something."

"I'm not sure how I feel about her either, but she's one of Mal and Evie's guests and I should be nice," Henry whispered back as he led her over to where the soda was, hoping it would be enough. "Now let's try not to worry about that and get the soda back upstairs so that we can party with everyone else."

"Okay, Henry." Dee Dee merely nodded.

Uma tapped her foot impatiently as she crossed her arms, checking her phone every once in a while. Eventually, Henry and Dee Dee came back and came upstairs to meet Uma at the top of the stairs.

"All right, hand me the soda, go back and turn off the light, and we'll head back to the party." Uma told the younger kids.

"All right." Henry and Dee Dee nodded, holding two large bottles of soda and held them out to the older girl, one-by-one.

Uma soon took the sodas and put them on the floor behind her before smirking.

"Stay put for a minute." Henry advised Dee Dee.

Dee Dee nodded as Henry came to turn out the light.

"Hope you kiddies like the basement." Uma smirked as she soon grabbed the door and shut it behind them, locking them in the basement.

"HEY! WHAT?!" Henry yelped and soon pounded on the door. "Uma, open this door!"

"I'm scared, Henry!" Dee Dee cried out.

Uma soon carried the bottles of soda into the living room and turned up the volume on the music so that no one would be able to hear Henry and Dee Dee. The music was so loud that it was practically throbbing and shaking the house as Henry and Dee Dee kept trying to pound on the door so that someone would hear them and let them out.

* * *

**_MEANWHILE, DOWN THE STREET..._ **

"Goodness... What is all that racket down the street?" Mrs. Lucas grumbled as she slid out of bed and came over to the window and opened it up. She could then see that there was quite a ruckus going on at the mansion. "A wild party at the Mills' mansion? Not on MY watch!" she then glared as she soon rushed over to her granddaughter's bedroom, looking a bit soft. "Ruby..." she then said before pulling back the covers to see two pillows with a red hoodie over top of them. "Pillows? ...Oh, you are in so much trouble, young lady." she was then even angrier than she was before and dashed over to the nearby telephone, quickly dialing a certain number as she was beyond angry.

 ** _'Auradon Town Council?'_** A voice answered on the other line.

"Regina Mills, PLEASE." Mrs. Lucas demanded firmly as she nearly crushed the phone in her hand.


	18. Chapter 18

Meanwhile, at Town Hall, Regina was there with several parents and adults as she was discussing her future term as the mayor again in the next election. "And as you remember, I've been your mayor for a very long time," she then said, speaking in front of the people behind her podium as everyone watched her from their seats. "I have two lovely children who could do no wrong as I was able to raise them as well as I can by myself. Of course with the help of Sheriff Graham Humbert, doing his part whenever necessary."

Graham smiled sheepishly as he waved once he was mentioned like that.

"I will do everything in my power to continue to make our home into a lovely environment for our children with a great school and just as great teachers, keeping them safe from danger and the wrong side of the tracks, and of course, Stranger Danger," Regina continued before Mr. Glass stood up for a moment and walked away briefly as he was signaled away after hearing the telephone go off.

Many people in the crowd agreed, murmuring their thoughts as she spoke.

"And I would also like to announce something very special if I may?" Graham spoke up.

"Oh... Really?" Regina blinked, surprised before smiling bashfully. "How important is this, Mr. Humbert?"

"It's quite urgent, in fact, I've been waiting for the right time to ask and I just couldn't wait much longer if I may have the floor." Graham replied as he stood up calmly and innocently.

"Well... That's all right with me," Regina replied before looking back at the group. "Would that be alright with you folks?"

The people simply murmured in agreement again.

"All right then, Graham, what is it?" Regina smiled at the sheriff of Auradon Heights.

"Ahem..." Graham cleared his throat and soon approached her. "Regina Lana Mills... I have known you for a long time... I mean, a really long time. It was such a long time ago, and yet... I feel like I've known you my whole life."

"I feel that way too sometimes, Graham," Regina smiled warmly. "You're one of the best things to have ever happened to me next to when Evie and Henry were born."

"Aww~..." The crowd sighed at that sentiment.

"I was just wondering though," Graham smiled as he reached into his pocket to bring something out. "If you wouldn't mind and I know that I definitely wouldn't. If you would-"

"Uh, Mayor Mills? I need to tell you something." Mr. Glass spoke up as he walked over suddenly.

"Not now, Mr. Glass," Regina said through her teeth sharply as she glanced at him. "Can't this wait?"

"There's a Mrs. Lucas on hold," Mr. Glass informed. "She says it's an emergency."

"Excuse me," Regina told the crowd and the sheriff before she walked over to pick up the phone. "May I help you, Mrs. Lucas?" she then asked, trying to sound pleasant, but sounded a bit irked right now and she was about to get worse. Much, much worse. "...What?"

* * *

Back at the Mills' mansion, most of the guests were still dancing and having a lot of fun. There was a group around one part of the room though that were playing an old-fashioned game of Spin the Bottle. Uma smirked as she, Gil, and Harry nearly trashed the house, though Evie seemed to be too excited or having too much fun to notice, especially her little brother being locked in the basement and she couldn't help him since he didn't have a cell phone and he and Dee Dee were drowned out by the music. Mal and Evie soon met in the kitchen, laughing together.

"Evie, this is probably the best house party I've ever been to," Mal smiled at her friend. "See? You can handle a teenage party. I bet even Henry and Dee Dee are having a good time."

Evie nodded before looking curious. "...Where are Henry and Dee Dee?" she soon wondered. "It's not like Henry to leave without saying anything."

"Oh, he's probably just in bed," Uma smirked as she walked by slyly. "I wouldn't worry about him though, Princess Blueberry. You have a party to worry about and not your little ankle-biter."

"...He's my little brother," Evie firmly corrected as she didn't like that nickname for Henry. "But... I suppose you're right."

"So, you ready to get back out there?" Mal then asked.

"Yes, I suppose I am," Evie nodded. "I just hope this isn't too big of a mess, otherwise my hands will be very full by tomorrow evening when the trash gets picked up."

The two girls laughed as Uma smirked, walking off back into the living room.

"Who wants to play Spin the Bottle?!" Uma called out.

"Spin the Bottle?" Evie offered to Mal.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," Mal nodded. "Oh... By the way. I wanna give you something."

"Oh, Mal, you don't have to get me anything." Evie smiled bashfully.

"No, really, I insist," Mal said as she reached into her pocket and brought out a golden bracelet with glittering stars on it. "I want you to have this."

"What is it?" Evie asked, amazed and wowed by the glowing as she accepted it.

"Just a little token of our friendship," Mal replied. "I thought maybe you'd like it."

"Oh, I do... But... Won't you miss it?" Evie asked.

"I have another one just like it," Mal replied innocently. "They can be bracelets of friendship if you want."

"You mean a friendship bracelet?" Evie corrected.

"Right... What'd I say?" Mal blinked.

"Never mind that," Evie giggled a little as she wrapped her arms around Mal's shoulders. "Let's go join in on the fun before we miss everything."

"Sounds good to me." Mal chuckled as they soon left the kitchen and soon came back into the living room.

"Hey, let's go upstairs and go exporin'." Harry suggested to Gil.

"All right," Gil chuckled and nodded before looking curious. "...Does Mayor Mills have any treasure in her house?"

"Just get over here, stupid." Harry rolled his eyes, growling as he grabbed Gil by his collar and went to pull him upstairs.

* * *

"All right, time to get a kiss from my future husband~" Jordan smirked as she leaned in and spun the bottle.

The bottle spun around and around before pointing right over to Jay as he looked like he was about to take something from a locked cabinet in the living room.

"And it's... Jay~" Jordan smirked once she saw who the bottle landed on.

"Huh?" Jay blinked before looking over and glaring at Jordan. "Hey! You cheated!"

"How did she cheat?" Ivy smirked. "You have to kiss her, it's the rules."

"Yeah, those are the rules based on what I've seen in this game." Mal chuckled.

"Besides, I would never cheat on you," Jordan smirked as she leaned in, applying some lip balm on her lips and puckering up in excitement and anticipation. "C'mere... I'm gonna show you what kissin' is all about~"

"I'm outta here!" Jay cried out as he suddenly bolted off.

"He's just kiddin' around... He knows he likes me," Jordan told the others before she soon chased after Jay. "Jay! Get back here!"

"Hmph." Lonnie pouted and rolled her eyes at what Jordan just did to Jay, looking a little jealous.

The others laughed a bit, especially Ben and Mal.

"Okay, it's your turn, Evie." Mal smiled at her new best friend.

* * *

Upstairs, Harry and Gil made it into Regina's bedroom, deciding to take some stuff for themselves on Uma's command. Harry went right to "treasure hunting", but Gil decided to jump on the bed, acting a decade younger than he actually was.

"Are ye a guppy?" Harry rolled his eyes. "Grow up, will ya?"

"You're only young once, Harry!" Gil smirked. "Might as well enjoy it while you can!"

Harry grunted and shook his head as he decided to loot Regina. However, he felt a strange twinge in his stomach, almost like he felt bad about what he was doing, but did his best to ignore it as he opened up some jewelry boxes and stashed the stuff he found into a bag he brought with him to show to Uma later.

* * *

"Chad, Chad, Chad, Chad, Chad..." Evie whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and crossed her fingers as the bottle kept spinning.

The bottle soon stopped spinning and ended up on the blonde boy who seemed to be too busy examining himself in his handheld mirror.

"It's Chad~" Lonnie, Mal, and Freddie told Evie.

Evie squealed in excitement, looking ready to kiss the boy of her dreams.

* * *

Gil continued to jump on the bed before crashing down on it and it suddenly broke down under his weight. "Oops..." he then said nervously as that made a loud thump happen upstairs.

"Nice goin', Peanut Brain." Harry groused as he slapped Gil in the back of his head.

"Ow!" Gil pouted.

Unknown to both of them, this made the bottle tilt a little and spin over to Doug suddenly who blushed as he was put on the spot suddenly like that.

* * *

"Doug?" Evie and Mal blinked.

Doug grinned hopefully and excitedly about getting a kiss with Evie.

"Well... Look at the time," Evie smiled nervously as she walked over to the front door and opened it. "My mother should be getting home any minute. Party's over, everybody out."

"Oh, stop being a baby," Audrey smirked as she grabbed Evie by her arm and went to push her into the closet. "Get over there and kiss your man~"

"Yes, Evie, it's the rules after all." Ivy added.

"Unless you wanna break his heart." Coraline smirked.

Evie yelped as she soon fell into the closet with Doug and Audrey made sure to put a chair over the door to keep them stuck inside so Evie couldn't back out.

"And remember, you're to stay in there for seven minutes." Audrey smirked.

"Audrey, don't lock them in the closet." Ben frowned.

"Why not, Benny? It's in the rules of Spin the Bottle." Audrey smirked.

"What rules?" Mal asked. "I don't remember locking someone in a closet being in the rules for Spin the Bottle."

"Well, it's in Auradon/Storybrooke rules," Audrey retorted as she crossed her arms. "You should go back to where you came from if you don't like how we play the game here."

"Audrey!" Ben firmly frowned.

"I'm just trying to be honest." Audrey shrugged innocently.

Mal just rolled her eyes, wrinkling her nose at Audrey's nastiness. At least Audrey and Ben broke up and she could start to see why.

* * *

Evie soon turned on the light in the closet and looked across to the band geek who shared the closet space with her. "Okay, these are the rules," she then started to say. "No kissing, no hugging, no talking."

Doug nodded in agreement as he began to breathe heavily.

"And no heaving breathing." Evie soon added.

Doug then started to sweat as he looked a bit sick to his stomach right now.

"...Are you okay?" Evie asked, starting to sound concerned.

"I'm claustrophobic..." Doug replied as his voice sounded squeakier than usual due to the pressure he was feeling right about now. "I need my inhaler."

"Okay... Where is it?" Evie then asked, trying to keep calm.

"H-H-Home..." Doug replied as he nearly deflated.

"Lemme out of here!" Evie began to panic herself, pounding on the door then.

"Sorry~... We can't hear you~" Audrey smirked darkly with Ivy and Coraline.

Then suddenly, the front door came open as the music suddenly cut out. At the door was Regina with Graham.

Regina gasped at the sight of so many teenagers in her home. "Oh, my gosh..." she then whispered.

"Where's Evie?!" Graham demanded.

"Let me out of here!" Evie cried out as she managed to have the chair kicked down away from the door as it came open and she carried an unconscious Doug in her arms, starting to break down crying. "Mom... Graham..." she then said nervously once she saw them and dropped Doug to the floor. "I see you're having a great evening... Heh... Right?"

" **WHAT THE _HELL_ IS GOING ON HERE?!**" Regina soon shouted at her daughter.

"Mommy... Please..." Evie whispered, feeling scared on the inside.

"Evelyn Ingrid Mills... You told me you were only going to have a few friends from school over," Regina narrowed her eyes. "But this! This! ...You invited everybody on campus?!"

"Mom, you don't understand-" Evie spoke up.

"Don't talk back to me!" Regina replied firmly as she was beyond angry and very scary. "Mrs. Lucas called and told me from Town Hall that you were having a wild party that she could hear all the way from her house!" she then turned over to Ruby. "And speaking of which... I suggest you return home to your grandmother before you end up in juvenile hall."

"Yes, Mayor Mills..." Ruby said softly with wide eyes.

"But Mom-" Evie tried again.

"No buts!" Regina crossed her arms sternly before looking all around at the kids. "Now, kids, you don't have to go home, but you are getting the heck out of my house this instant."

The teenagers soon stood up and waddled on out while they still had the chance. Graham soon took Doug and laid him down on the couch as strongly as she could, hoping that the boy wasn't dead.

"Ms. Mills, I-" Mal spoke up.

"You... _You_ are a very bad influence on my daughter, Miss Ignus," Regina interrupted sharply as she faced the girl. "You best get back home too. I don't want to see you in my house again."

"But Ms. Mills-" Mal tried again.

"No buts from you either, _Malissa_!" Regina replied sharply, too angry to call the girl by her preferred name as she was very firm and serious. "Evie, I might as well ship you off to The Ircabeth Redwood Academy or to your grandmother's to shape you up into a proper young lady. This wild party is just inexcusable when you took my trust and just dashed it into pieces! What if your little brother had witnessed this atrocity?!"

Evie frowned and bowed her head.

"...Where is your little brother by the way?" Regina asked as Harry and Gil came from upstairs before she sharply turned to them. "BOYS?!"

Harry and Gil yelped as they were nearly pinned on the spot.

"Mom, if you just listen for one second-" Evie tried again.

"That's enough out of you!" Regina glared. "I'm sorry, Evie, but I'm going to have to ground you."

"Regina, maybe we should listen to what she has to say..." Graham spoke up softly, but not even he could get through to her.

"Graham, not now, I'm in no mood," Regina replied. "Evie, Graham and I will discuss your punishment."

"Mom...?" A muffled voice called.

Regina looked over and soon came to the basement door and opened it up to see two familiar younger kids.

"Who locked them in the basement?" Evie gasped to Mal.

"Wasn't me." Mal defended quickly.

"Henry..." Regina gasped as she looked to the boy. "What were you doing down there?"

"We were getting soda for Evie's friends and we got locked down here." Henry frowned.

"Evie! I can't believe you!" Regina glared, looking back at her daughter who looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"I didn't do that though!" Evie defended. "Mom, please just listen to me!"

"I've heard enough," Regina shook her head. "Graham, will you take these young ladies and that young man back home?" she then demanded.

"Yes, Regina," Graham nodded obediently. "Of course I will."

"Mom... Evie didn't-" Henry spoke up.

"Please Henry, not now," Regina interrupted with a sharp sigh. "I'm too disappointed. I think I should call Grandma."

Evie and Henry gasped as though that sounded like a fate worse than death.

"We'll talk more in the morning," Regina said. "Evie, you may go say goodbye to your friends while you still can."

"Are you mad...?" Evie asked softly in defeat with no other options left.

"I'm not mad, Evie," Regina sighed. "I'm just very, _very_ disappointed in you."

"...I understand." Evie said as she bowed her head.

"Very good," Regina approved. "I'm going to get ready to get some sleep."

Evie wiped her eyes as she had tears rolling down her cheeks. Henry frowned, feeling so bad for his sister and soon went to go up to his own room.

"Henry, go ahead and get ready for bed," Regina then told her younger child. "I'll be there in a few minutes to tuck you in."

"Yes, Mom." Henry replied softly.

Evie soon walked outside the door with Mal. Uma was heard chuckling as everybody was grouped together, going to find a way home as Graham came to escort Doug and Dee Dee back home.

* * *

"Hey... What's so funny?" Evie firmly pouted at Uma.

"Oh, nothing~" Uma smirked before she hugged Mal suddenly. "Nice working with you, Mal~" she then burst into more laughter.

Everybody then gasped in horror once it was revealed why the party truly got out of control as a car pulled up to pick up Uma, Harry, and Gil.

"So nice that you'd do anything to help an old friend." Uma smirked at Mal before stepping inside the car with her guys.

Harry then closed the door and the car drove off into the night.

"... _She_ was your 'old friend'?" Evie asked Mal, a bit firm, though it was mostly soft as she had tears in her eyes.

"Well... She said... She said she wanted to help you..." Mal softly told Evie in defense.

"And you believed her?" Ruby asked as she put her arm around Evie.

"I... I..." Mal stammered as she felt her heart aching inside.

Evie turned away as she hugged her stomach, feeling even more hurt and betrayed about what happened and was going to be punished as soon as she walked back inside her house. Mal flinched and looked all around to the others as they looked very unhappy with her right now and she bowed her head. She was used to being seen as a disappointment, but this was probably the worst thing to have ever happened to her.

"...I have nothing to say to you." Ben said to Mal as he bowed his head.

Mal sighed sharply as that very much stung. She wasn't sure if she was ever going to be able to make this up to Evie and the others. It was just going to be a very long day tomorrow and probably an even longer week the day after.

* * *

Eventually, all of the teenagers were sent home in their own way.

"Well, Mal, I know you're used to hearing this, but I'm very disappointed in you," Ciara said as she drove her daughter back home. "I don't know what's gotten into you. You've been so bad lately."

"At least now my badness has finally gotten your attention." Mal rolled her eyes sassily.

"And just what is that supposed to mean, young lady?" Ciara demanded.

"Mom, for all my life, you've been comparing me to Lily," Mal explained as she firmly sighed. "Especially after her accident. Mom, I know you don't want me to end up in jail, but how about being home once in a while? Regina's been more like a mother to me than you have in a very long time. You know what I wish?"

"Don't say it, Mal..." Ciara pouted.

"I wish that..." Mal began to say.

"Don't!" Ciara replied. "You'll regret it!"

"Sometimes I wish-" Mal continued.

"Mal, please!"

"I wish I was never born!" Mal soon blurted out.

"Mal, that's a terrible thing to say!" Ciara firmly pouted. "You have a great life and I think you need to see it."

"Yeah, right," Mal huffed. "My sister is dead, my father left me, my mother barely notices I exist, people are only paying attention to me in school because I beat up the most popular girl in school and I'm dating the most popular boy in school. My life is just empty and hollow with no redeeming qualities." she then added as she crossed her arms.

"Mal... I'm sorry..." Ciara sighed. "Sometimes life is just unfair and sometimes you can't help it. Believe me, I know."

"What do _you_ know?" Mal pouted. "You just don't know how hard this all is."

"Mal... I know that it's tough, but you can get through it," Ciara said, trying to sound firm, but also a bit gentle. "I just don't want you to make the same mistakes that Lily or your father and I did."

"You made mistakes?" Mal scoffed in disbelief. "You just pretty much put me up on a pedestal after I was born and made sure I'd be the perfect kid when I'd just live in your shadow. I just feel like I have no life of my own to live and when I try to, my own mother won't even let me be happy."

"Mal... When I was your age, I was just like you," Ciara sighed as they were almost home now. "I'm sorry that I'm hardly the perfect mother, but please... Can't we at least try to get along so you don't end up like your sister?"

Mal raised a sharp eyebrow at that question.

"Whether you trust me or not, I am your mother," Ciara said as they came to a stop and she looked right at her daughter, looking her dead in the eyes. "I've made mistakes, especially with your father."

Mal scoffed and turned her head right at the window in disgust.

"Mal, please listen," Ciara sighed. "Your father and I just got together too young and had your sister too young too. That's one of the reasons why we split up and just know that it had nothing to do with you."

"I know, Mom, I'm not a child." Mal rolled her eyes.

"No, you're not," Ciara said softly. "But you're not an adult either which is why you have to listen to me or you'll end up just like I did or how Lily did. I'm not going to be around forever."

"You were never around before," Mal firmly pouted. "Especially in this new town. What are you doing that's so interesting to get away from me and barely be there for me, even when we move into a crappy place like this."

"I understand," Ciara sighed. "And I should've told you what I've been up to ever since we ended up in this town."

"So are you going to tell me?" Mal asked.

"...I can't right now," Ciara replied. "I'm sorry, Mal, but I can't say much of anything right now."

"Sure... Shut me out... That's all you're ever good at." Mal huffed.

Ciara just sighed as there was no way to get through to Mal right now. The rest of the ride back home was quiet and as soon as the mother and daughter made it back home. Once they made it back home, they went straight to sleep. Both had a hard time lying in bed that evening as they both had a lot on their minds, especially about tonight, but also about past events. Mal was the most crushed she had ever been in her life about what happened between her and Evie and she just hoped that they would still be friends again very soon.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ben was brought back home.

"So... Word on the street is that Mayor Mills' daughter hosted a wild party..." Gold said as he greeted his nephew at the door.

"Uh... Y-Yes, sir..." Ben nodded. "It was okay, I suppose until we all got yelled at and thrown out. I didn't cause any trouble though."

"I'm sure you didn't, boy," Gold smirked a bit. "You're a smart lad."

"Heh... Thanks, Uncle Cedric..." Ben grinned nervously. "I'm gonna go to bed now."

"So this girl you fancy..." Gold said, holding out his hand to reach onto Ben's shoulder. "Was she there?"

"Who? Mal? Oh, yeah, she was there," Ben blushed and nodded. "I can't wait until Mom and Dad can meet her. Hopefully at that big banquet up against The Sherwood Foxes."

"Well, I look forward to it too," Gold smirked. "She must be a very strong and brave young woman, especially to go out with someone like you when you have it all in school."

"Yeah, Mal is very strong, that's for sure," Ben replied. "I bet right now, she's crying joyfully about seeing me in school again on Monday very soon."

* * *

Mal very rarely ever cried. She didn't cry when her sister eventually had her untimely death and barely had a tear at the funeral. She didn't cry when her father decided he couldn't handle her mother much longer and decided to go live somewhere else. She didn't even cry when the faculty at her old school told her that it would be okay to cry due to her new life, but she never cried out loud. She just kept it inside and learned how to hide her feelings. Tonight was different though. For the first time in what seemed like to be her entire life, Mal began to break down and cry, though she landed on her face in her pillow and she let it out so that her mother couldn't hear her.

Mal felt like she had really messed up this time. She got her newest and most best friend in very deep, deep trouble with no way out. She wasn't sure how she was going to make this up to Evie, but she knew that she had to do something. She just wished and hoped that she would be able to very soon. She didn't like how it felt when she was crying: she had a sudden headache, bleary vision from the tears, and a runny nose. It was very painful and her heart ached even worse to know that Evie was probably going to be grounded for life and it was all her fault. She eventually fell fast asleep and began to dream one of her more recent favorite dreams to dream about.

She saw herself flying like a dragon, only she didn't have any wings and she was a human. She just loved to fly in a dream, especially when she was a little kid. However, when she looked to her left and right sides, she saw that she wasn't alone. On her left side was her older sister who smiled and winked at her and on her right side, there was her chuckling and happy father. Mal missed the simple times when those two were still around and in her life and wished that she could go back to them. Alas, remembering doesn't bring those days back. Life didn't work that way and she had to grow up and accept it. It made her feel a little bit better after the crying, but starting tomorrow, she would try to make it up to Evie somehow even if she wasn't sure how or when this would happen. She just hoped that it would be soon. Very, very soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this short chapter, but this story is almost over. Already? I know, right? Also, I forgot to mention in the last chapter that Dee Dee is my Once Upon a Time OC in RPs with a very dear friend of mine. I was fighting with myself on whether to include her in this story or not, but I thought it'd be nice if Henry made a new friend for this story series. The next chapter will be the second to last chapter and then this will be done, but no worries if you're enjoying the setting and characters so far. I'm planning a sequel to come out sometime in 2021, so be on the look-out for that. Read & Review this chapter while you're at it!


	19. Chapter 19

Sunday was a bit of a long day. Things were quiet between Mal and Evie and their mothers. No one wanted to relive it or talk about it, so Monday came next. Mal decided to open up one of the cupboards, taking out a box of Froot Loops and poured herself a bowl with some milk before sitting down and eating it up. She found herself swallowing very hard and feeling funny, almost queasy, in her tummy. Mal remembered what had happened on Sunday and her going to the mansion while Regina and Graham were out, though the same thing seemed to happen every time.

Mal knocked on the door with a small, hopeful smile and Evie soon came to the door to see who was there. "I thought maybe you'd like to do each other's nails, Evie?" she then said, taking out a couple of her favorite bottles of nail polish: lime green and passionate violet.

Evie just frowned, looking terribly hurt before shaking her head, and shutting the door in Mal's face. Mal winced... The door didn't even hit her or touch her face and yet it stung worse than any other pain she could had endured if it had.

* * *

Later on, Evie was soon walking over to The Braeburn Diner with Henry, holding his hand as they walked together.

"Hi, guys." Mal smiled as she soon ran into them into town.

Evie gasped before she took Henry's hand and ran with him, heading right into the diner. Henry glanced back at Mal before he and his sister were both suddenly in the diner. Mal frowned as that hurt even worse than the door slamming. She felt sick to her stomach, but also pained down there somehow. What was this feeling that she was feeling?

* * *

Even more later, Evie was staring into the lake and skipping some stones in it as she sat on the bank all alone and by herself. Eventually, someone was swimming in the water and that someone was Mal who soon came out, spitting out some water like a fountain and giggled as she wore the lilypad like a hat.

"Evie, you're fashionable, would you say that green is my color in this case?" Mal giggled, smiling hopefully.

Evie glared at the sight of Mal and soon stood up as she looked ready to leave the new girl yet again.

"Evie, wait, please," Mal said as she soon grabbed Evie's arm as she came out of the water before getting the girl to stop as she wrung the water out of her hair and removed the lilypad. "Why don't we get some ice cream and talk this over or something?"

"No, thank you." Evie huffed as she went to storm off again.

"I didn't mean to get you in trouble, but I just wanted people around here to like me since I'm new in town," Mal frowned as Evie stopped to listen, though the nicer, more sweet girl was still a bit unhappy with her supposed new best friend. "I didn't want people to think I was a loser or something and Uma thought it would be good for you too."

"So I'm supposed to take the blame?" Evie retorted, sounding very firm and like she could cry as she was really hurt on the inside. "Is that why you pretended to like me?"

"How can you say that?" Mal frowned. "I gave you my bracelet! Don't you think that meant something?"

"You're right... It did," Evie replied as she stopped and soon took off the bracelet and forced Mal to take it back. "It meant we were friends."

"But we _are_ friends." Mal frowned.

"We _were_ friends," Evie emphasized. "Past tense. Stop living in the past or you'll never see your future."

"...Stop living in the past or you'll never see your future?" Mal blinked as that sounded a bit odd for Evie of all people to say.

"I got it in a fortune cookie once," Evie sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mal, but this friendship is over. I should've known this would happen... No one ever wants to really be my friend anyway."

"Evie..." Mal frowned.

"No one ever wants to be friends with the mayor's kid..." Evie huffed as she stormed off. "Some people just care all about looks or popularity like Chad or Audrey. Some people just care about everybody being afraid of them like Uma, Gil, and Harry. Some people pretend to be my friend when they can take advantage of my kindness to get away with having wild parties or having an excuse to trash my place. I'm going back to Mom and you don't even know what it's like with her," she then added with a sharp glare as she looked back at Mal. "Mine and Henry's lives suck!"

"Oh, you wanna know what _sucking_ is?" Mal retorted firmly as she narrowed her emerald eyes. "Being left with your mother who treats you as invisible unless you're in trouble and always compares you to your supposed perfect sister, then your dad abandons you and was never really there for you and you have to make it on your own without him, and come from a town where no one really even cared about you and just asked about your sister all the time."

"Well, even though I'm the older sister, I would've loved to have an older sister to help me make it through town!" Evie glared. "I thought I had a sister in you when we became friends, but I guess I was wrong!" she then broke down with tears in her eyes. "I was wrong... Just like I was about everything."

Mal glared back until she felt that she couldn't stay mad at Evie and felt her heart sinking in her chest.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Evie continued before sniffling and pouting as tears formed in her dark brown eyes. "I have to head back home and get started on dinner... And at least you had your dad is still alive! ...Goodbye, Mal." she then added before going off, though she broke down crying on the way.

"...What is this gross feeling I'm feeling in my stomach?" Mal complained to herself. "I don't need Evie... Do I...?"

* * *

It was a very stressful and painful weekend for both girls. Mal knew she had to do something to make things up to Evie, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

"Mrs. Mills won't be coming by to take you to school today, so I might have to do." Ciara told Mal as she came to see her daughter.

"Okay, Mom," Mal said softly. "I'll meet you in the car."

Ciara nodded and soon walked off suddenly. "Remember to wow them in your new school, dear~" she then said with a grin. "Your sister Lily always had an award-winning smile."

"Phew... Ain't that a kick to the teeth?" Mal grumbled. "I thought I had gained a new sister... But I just ended up losing both of them."

Indeed, Mal was having a lot of trouble. Apparently gifts and invitations weren't going to be the way to own up to Evie. She wasn't sure what she could say or do though to make Evie talk to her again. To make matters worse, it was a bit of a dark and gray day for school today as Mal sighed, staring out her window before doing a little bit of a double-take as she looked over to the graveyard as they passed by it. She could had sworn that she saw Jay at the graveyard, leaving a flower before sighing to himself as he shook his head at one grave before walking off with his head kept low as he put his hands in the pockets of his blazer while leaving the graveyard. Mal rubbed her eyes curiously before shrugging as she wondered about that, but decided not to make too much of a big deal over it. Right now, she knew that she had to patch things up with Evie someway and somehow.

* * *

In Mrs. Belfrey's classroom, the students inside talked amongst themselves while they had the chance before the woman would come inside the room. Mal was placing a dark blue balloon with a red heart inside of it with the letter E in it with some Apollo and Wonka bars on the girl's desk before she went to go and sit where her desk was, hoping Evie would see it and then find a way to forgive her for what had happened this weekend.

"Um, hey, guys," Mal said as she came to see Carlos and Jay. "So, that Isaac Heller is quite the author, huh?"

"Uh... Yeah... I guess..." Carlos shrugged. "I think my mom dated him once actually."

"...Fascinating." Mal replied.

It was then suddenly quiet between the three of them as Jay didn't seem as down in the dumps as he was when Mal caught a glimpse of him at the cemetery earlier.

"...So, Jay, why were you at the cemetary earlier?" Mal then asked, deciding to fill the air a bit.

"...I wasn't at the cemetary today." Jay said as his eyes seemed to dart back and forth.

"Yeah, you were," Mal nodded. "I saw you there when my mom drove me to school today."

"Must've been someone else." Jay shrugged.

Mal glanced at him strangely before sighing and shaking her head. "Never mind..." she then said lowly.

POP! The three soon looked forward as Tilly snorted and suddenly woke up, her eyes darting around as she had fallen asleep. As usual. Evie firmly pouted as she had popped the balloon with a bobby pin and soon sat down, shoving down the candy bears off of her desk into the trashcan and soon looked forward with her arms folded. Mal sighed as that hurt her yet again and this was just making her feel worse and worse about what had happened between the two of had gone from very close friends with a sister-like bond into not talking to each other with a very strained and distant relationship with each other.

* * *

Mal began to feel more and more sick to her stomach as the day carried out and had a hard time focusing in her classes today. She was currently visiting the school nurse who was taking her temperature and everything else that needed to be done.

"So, you feel a little nauseous, but you haven't thrown up... Your heart is racing... You're sweating a little bit..." The nurse said. "You don't have a temperature, cough, or anything though that says any sickness. Are you sure you're sick, Miss Ignus?"

"I just feel sick whenever I'm around my friend Evie," Mal replied with a small shrug. "I just feel like my stomach is fighting me for some reason and I feel worse when I try to talk to her and she just ignores me."

"Hmm... I see..." The nurse then said with a nod. "Have you done something wrong?"

Mal's eyes widened before her voice grew shallow and soft suddenly. "W-Wrong? W-Whatya mean?" she then asked, slightly trembling.

"Well, I'm just saying, maybe you feel guilty about something," The nurse said. "What happened?"

"...I can't talk about it." Mal sighed and pouted.

"Well, it sounds like this is something you girls need to work out together," The nurse suggested. "I won't ask you what you did, but you know what you did and Miss Mills does too, yes?" she then prompted.

"...Yeah, I guess she does," Mal nodded. "Sorta... Not fully everything though... No."

"Well, I highly suggest that you and Miss Mills talk things out together," The nurse advised. "Because once you get out what needs to be let out, you two can talk and make amends and you'll feel so much better."

"You really think so?" Mal asked.

"I was a teenager once too," The nurse reminded with a small giggle. "It becomes easier the second time around if you're lucky like me. Now, you better run off to class and don't come in here unless you caught the chicken pox or something."

"Yes, ma'am..." Mal sighed as she hopped off of the bench and went to walk herself down to class as she hugged her stomach, it felt at least five pounds heavier as the guilt was consuming her as she thought more about what the nurse said.

The biggest problem was probably trying to get Evie to sit down and listen to her.

* * *

Evie wasn't feeling that much good herself, though probably not as bad as Mal was currently feeling. "I just wish you could be here to help make things easier for me..." she said with a deep sigh as she had her locker door open and was looking into it. "You have no idea how hard it is to be a teenager today... Yes, I know... Talk to Mom about teenage girl problems, but... It can be hard sometimes, especially nowadays with my hope and trust suddenly dashed after one evening... I just wish it could be like the old days... We'd ride together on our horses... You'd get me ice cream. You'd make me smile and laugh and I'd hug you..."

Eventually, there was a photograph of a dark-haired man who was smiling and winning a blue ribbon with Evie herself at a much, much younger age.

"I miss you so much, Daddy, it hurts," Evie closed her eyes as a tear slipped down her left cheek, sniffling a bit. "I hate to cry in school, but I just wish you could be here so you could hug me and tell me everything's going to be okay... Mom was a lot happier when you were around too... Before Henry was born and brought home from the hospital. It's just so rough right now, especially since neither Henry or I have any real friends anymore."

Mal felt struck as she overheard Evie and frowned as she deeply sighed, feeling more and more defeated. This was a really tough week of school and it was only Monday. She then walked away from the hallway as Evie took out the picture of Daniel from her locker and kissed its cheek, pretending that she was still with her late father because she really needed some parental comfort and she doubted her mother would give it to her after the disastrous weekend.

* * *

After a long and uncomfortable lunch of the girls not speaking to each other, Mal wandered the hallways, wondering what to do. She deeply sighed as she walked off, tuning out people like Uma and Audrey as best as she could. Their taunting felt and hurt worse than it usually did, but she decided to try to not let it ruin her life.

"Miss Ignus? Hello..." A voice called.

Mal looked up and over to see that it was the school "crazy doctor". "Oh... You're that school psychologist?" she then said. "Uh... Dr. Hipster? I think..."

"Dr. Hopper," Archie corrected with a chuckle. "I'm afraid I'm not cool enough to be a hipster that you young people talk about."

"Right... Dr. Hopper..." Mal nodded then. "Like that bad guy from that one Muppets movie."

"If you say so," Archie remarked. "You seem to be a little unfocused lately. Is something on your mind?"

"Huh? Whatya mean?" Mal asked.

"Oh, it's nothing personal or dangerous, Miss Ignus, but your teachers just have been noticing you unable to focus on your work or pay much attention and seem focused on other things," Archie replied. "I just thought maybe we could talk about what's maybe eating you."

"Just so you know, Doc, I'm not crazy." Mal replied coolly.

"Of course you're not," Archie nodded. "I just thought maybe we could talk about you for a little while. I promise not to keep you too long. How about you step into my office for a minute or so?"

"...Well, I guess I have something on my mind," Mal said. "...But what about class? I don't wanna get another detention after what happened between me and Audrey the other week."

"I understand completely, so I'll write you a note so you don't get in trouble for missing too much of class," Archie explained. "I promise, you can tell me anything on your mind and I won't tell anybody what's going on."

"Hm... Well, that does sound interesting..." Mal shrugged. "When do we start?"

"What would you say to right now?" Archie suggested.

"Okay..." Mal said with a shrug again before she followed him to go into his office.

* * *

Eventually, Mal was sitting in a comfortable chair across from Archie as she looked at him. "So, what do I talk about?" she then asked.

"Whatever you would like," Archie replied as he held a pen close with a clipboard sitting in his lap. "You may call me 'Dr. Hopper' or 'Archie', whichever makes you feel comfortable. Now, tell me, whatever you wanna let out, just say. We can talk about the weather, we can talk about sports, or your classmates, we can talk about your journey into Auradon Heights as a new student... Whatever you want."

"Well... I guess I'm thinking about Evie..." Mal said with a shrug.

"Evie, huh?" Archie replied. "...Forgive me for asking, Miss Ignus-"

"Please, call me Mal." Mal interrupted.

"Very well, Mal, that's a nice name," Archie nodded before he continued asking what he was going to ask her. "Mal... You don't feel any romantic feelings towards Evie, do you?"

Mal's eyes widened before she wrinkled her nose sickly.

"I mean, it's alright if you do," Archie quickly reassured. "I won't judge you, I promise. I just thought maybe you were going out with Ben French nowadays."

"Ugh! I am," Mal groaned slightly. "No, I'm not gay for Evie!"

"Alright, my apologies," Archie then said. "I just thought I would ask. So, what's going on between you and Evie?"

Mal heaved a sharp sigh as she knew that this wasn't going to be easy, but she soon let it all out. She mentioned the party, what happened with Uma, the result of the party, and how Evie was pretty much being shut out of her life right now. Archie nodded as he listened and took note of what Mal was saying. Mal felt only slightly better about pouring her feelings out like that, but not completely, unfortunately.

"So... I'm pretty sure Mayor Mills isn't going to let me have anything to do with Evie and Henry for a long, long time," Mal soon concluded with a sigh. "And it's bad enough back home with my mom who only really pays attention to me unless I'm in trouble. So... What should I do?"

"Well, Mal, that seems to be really hard, especially for a girl your age to go through and I understand that," Archie started to say. "But I think that you should apologize."

"Apologize?" Mal asked.

"Yes," Archie nodded. "Not just to Evie, but maybe Mayor Mills too. Sometimes the biggest and most painful wounds can be healed by a simple apology. I know that sounds cheesy, but I nearly lost a very old and dear friend of mine forever before we made up and I said sorry..." he then added as he glanced to his picture with his dear friend, Marco Gepetto, before sighing sharply. "Now if only someone else will apologize to him too and maybe they'll live happily ever after together." he then said softly to himself.

"Saying sorry..." Mal groaned a bit.

"Believe me, Mal, if you do that, you'll probably start to feel better," Archie reassured. "I always say that you should let your conscience be your guide."

"Conscience?" Mal snorted and shook her head. "Never had one... Never."

"C'mon, Mal, everybody has a conscience," Archie insisted. "You know... That little voice inside your head that tells you right from wrong? You never know, but I really think it'll help you and Evie."

"Hmph..." Mal shrugged and crossed her arms. "I dunno about that."

"Well, I do," Archie insisted. "I was young once too, you know. My parents weren't very good or helpful people either believe it or not. I felt lost without friends there to help me or back me up whenever I needed it. It's not too late for you to lose one of the greatest friends you could ever have or know."

Mal glanced at him a bit.

"Well, that's about all the time we have right now," Archie soon said. "Would you like to finish your session or do you need to stay a bit longer?"

"Well... I don't wanna go to my next class, but I guess I could go," Mal shrugged as she stood up. "It was an okay talk though."

"Yes, it certainly was," Archie nodded before he stood up next to her before writing her a note, giving it to her to take to class with her. "Hopefully we can have another one sometime very soon."

"Thanks, Doc." Mal replied, accepting the note, sliding it into her pocket and she soon suddenly left his office door.

"Take very good care, Mal." Archie smiled as he sat in his office, waving at her as she left.

Mal waved back to him before sighing as she continued to go off. She then walked down the left corridor right as Evie appeared up the right corridor and knocked on Archie's door to talk to him and she was soon invited to come inside as she also had a lot on her mind about the weekend's hectic events. Mal didn't feel too much better as she thought about what Archie said to her and her heart pounded, almost as if the guilty emotions she felt deep within her heart and soul were punishing her until she owned up to what went wrong during the weekend.

* * *

Mal was soon defeated and felt like she just got the crap beaten out of her. Part of her felt like she deserved this and should just forget about having a friend like Evie, but another part of her really wanted to make things right and be friends with the girl again since she was the best friend she had ever had and vice versa. She just felt like she got punched and kicked in the stomach and face while thrown across the room. She heaved a sharp sigh as she stared at the ground while sitting on the front steps of the school, waiting for her mother to come pick her up after what felt like the worst day of her life. "I guess Evie doesn't wanna be my friend anymore... I've just got to face facts..." she then sulked with a firm pout on her face. "I guess I'm just used to being a disappointment to people. I knew that I should had never listened to Uma in the first place."

"So you did talk to Uma..." A familiar and much younger voice said.

"Huh?" Mal blinked before looking up and over. "Henry?"

"You should really know better than to trust someone like Uma," Henry said to the dark-haired girl as he grabbed his backpack straps. "You know, Mal, Evie really trusted you and didn't wanna be mad at you forever, she felt like she really found a best friend in you and I haven't seen her that happy in a very long time back whenever you'd come to do your homework or have dinner with us. Not to mention your first sleepover and that trip to the Mall the next day."

"Don't you think I know that, Henry?" Mal sharply sighed in agony. "I didn't mean to get Evie in trouble with that wild teen party. I told her that. She just won't listen."

"...Did you say sorry?" Henry soon prompted which brought back memories to earlier this afternoon from what Mal had to hear from old Dr. Hopper.

"Well... Sort of..." Mal shrugged as she looked him in the eyes. "She should know that I feel bad about what happened and how much it got your mom really mad at both of us, but especially Evie when she didn't do anything wrong."

"But did you say sorry?" Henry then asked, emphasizing a bit, and sounding very mature for his age like that was what Mal needed to do right now and quick.

Mal sharply sighed. "I guess I should've done that first... Even Archie suggested that," she then said to the younger boy as she stood up and wrapped her arm around him. "I was her best friend. She trusted me to not get her into trouble, especially with your mom, and I didn't... I really _am_ sorry."

"I know you're sorry, Mal, but you have to tell Evie that." Henry reminded.

"But how will I get her to stay and listen to me?" Mal frowned.

"We'll have to think of something, Mal," Henry said. "And especially explain what happened to Mom, even if she doesn't want you around us anymore."

"I hope so, Henry," Mal frowned softly. "...Would it be too much trouble if I could hug you?" she then asked.

"I suppose not." Henry shrugged with a small smile as he held out his tiny arms to her.

Mal smiled back softly and soon hugged Henry right back. They both then flinched as they heard the doors opening and jumped back before walking off from each other as Evie came through the door and took Henry's hand and walked down the steps with him to take him back home, not even noticing or acknowledging Mal's existence and treating her like she was invisible. Mal sighed as that hurt pretty bad, but she decided that she deserved that and decided to try to make things right again, the more proper way.

* * *

Mal waited about three days before she would see The Mills Mansion again. It was hard, especially glancing at Henry and Evie in the hallways and going home alone in her bedroom which felt like a cold, dark dungeon without their company. Sure, she could talk to Jay and Carlos in homeroom and in other classes, but it didn't feel the same without Evie. Evie felt like her sister and best friend combined into one package, especially with the secrets they shared together: Mal's deceased sister and Evie's disappeared father. She wanted to say sorry and get it over with sooner, but at the same time, she wanted to allow the family enough time to cool off. The evening Mal decided to come by was a quiet dinner at the Mills house and Graham was there too.

"Lovely steak, Regina." Graham said after there was bitter silence filling the air with the only sounds being silverware hitting the plate and biting into the food provided for all of them.

"Why, thank you, Graham," Regina replied before looking at her children. "And how is it for you two?"

"...Fine." Evie and Henry replied softly and quietly.

"Just fine?" Regina asked softly from their responses.

"Yeah." Evie and Henry nodded as they ate their food, but were mostly quiet.

Regina sighed as she had a feeling why they were acting like they were. "...You miss your friend, don't you?" she then asked.

"...Well, I think Henry misses Mal." Evie said softly as she sat up a little bit.

"I do," Henry admitted softly. "...I think you do too, E."

Regina sighed a bit sharper. "Well... I do have to admit," she then said. "You two seemed a lot livelier whenever she was around. She might had been rough around the edges, plus it was nice to talk to her and bond with her like she was another daughter to me and I haven't seen you two that happy in such a long-" she then stopped herself, shaking her head. "She was trouble! She was bad! She was callous! She was a parent's worst nightmare!" she then blurted out to get out of her system as she felt she couldn't trust Mal again, but deep down, she deeply missed Mal too. "We have to stop talking about her like she was some life-changer and a miracle worker for this family."

"Maybe we should change the subject," Graham suggested before clearing his throat. "Ahem... Regina, there was something I wanted to ask you."

"Oh, Graham? Really?" Regina asked, sitting up a little as she faced him. "What is it?"

"Well, I was just wondering... We've known each other for a long time..." Graham smiled hopefully as he soon got out of his chair and got down on one knee. "I've helped father your children for quite some time... I was just wondering if you, Regina Lana Mills, would do me the honor of accepting-"

But then suddenly, there was the sound of the doorbell.

"I don't recall us expecting any company." Regina remarked as she got up to go and answer the door.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." Graham complained.

Evie hid a small smirk, looking almost glad that Graham had been interrupted like that. Something about Graham never quite sit right with her, even if he promised her and Henry that he loved their mother very much and would never hurt her.

* * *

Regina soon opened the door and it was revealed to have been Mal. "...Malissa, what are you doing here?" she then asked, referring to Mal by her given name to show that she was very serious and firm, especially about what happened this weekend.

"I thought I'd come by for a minute." Mal replied softly.

"Do you honestly believe I'd allow you into my house, for dinner, after all the trouble you caused for my family?" Regina replied sharply.

"I didn't come for dinner." Mal countered.

"Then what did you come for?" Regina then demanded.

"You and Evie," Mal stated. "I wanted to-"

"No." Regina flatly declined, about to close the door on Mal's face.

Mal then stuck her foot out to prevent the door from closing on her face. "Ms. Mills, please," she then begged. "At least let me say something to Evie."

"What makes you think that Evie wants to talk to you?" Regina crossed her arms sharply.

"I deserve that, I admit that," Mal sighed as she looked Regina in the eyes as best as she could. "I took her trust, love, and friendship and ripped it out and my own heart is probably plagued because I'm a bad girl. Very bad... Rotten to the core even."

Regina raised an eyebrow as she kept her arms folded.

"Please... Just five minutes at least..." Mal begged. "If it goes horribly, then I'll never step foot in this house ever again for as long as I live in Auradon Heights. I promise."

"...Very well, Miss Ignus," Regina replied firmly. "I'll let Evie decide what happens afterwards... Evie!" She then called out to her daughter. "You've got company."

"Coming, Mom!" Evie's voice called out from the other room.

* * *

Eventually, Regina came back to sit down and eat dinner with her family again. Evie soon came to the door with a hopeful smile before she firmly pouted and narrowed her eyes at the sight of Mal. Mal had to admit that seeing Evie look unhappy was a bit scary and underwhelming to look at.

"Hi, Evie." Mal greeted softly.

"...Hi." Evie replied, crossing her arms as her tone was anything but sweet and friendly like it usually was.

"I wanna tell you something-" Mal began weakly.

"I wanna go." Evie glared, about to walk right away from Mal.

"Evie, wait," Mal frowned as she prevented her friend from leaving. "Why don't you listen to what I have to say?"

"Because!" Evie replied firmly.

"Because _why_?" Henry soon asked as he poked his head in the room.

"Because she got me in big trouble with Mom with that stupid party." Evie stated sharply, almost rivaling their mother in her icy tone of voice.

"I know and that party is all my fault," Mal defended as Regina stepped into the room briefly before stepping back and listening in a little bit. "It's all my fault for talking to Uma and for keeping this a secret from you. I never should've listened to her, especially since I had detention with her and she's the toughest and most brutal girl in school. I was the one who came up with the stupid party idea and letting Uma come along too with her friends and nearly everybody from school and she even locked your little brother and Doug's cousin in the basement. I'm really, really, _really_ sorry Evie," she then continued. "I just wanna be friends again, but if you don't, I understand, and I'll even understand if your mother files a restraining order against me. I just really miss hanging out with you and even Henry."

"Oh... Mal..." Evie frowned with tears in her eyes. "We missed you too!"

Henry soon stepped over and hugged Mal and Evie in the middle of them. Mal sniffled as she cried a little in the hug.

"Mal, it's been rough without you," Evie frowned softly as she took the other girl by her hands. "I just wish there was a way to convince Mom into forgiving you too. I talked with Dr. Hopper at school the other day and he said I should hear you out whenever I was ready and learn how to forgive and forget."

"I saw Dr. Hopper too," Mal nodded. "He and Henry suggested that I say sorry and I should've done that at the start, especially to your mom. If I could turn back time and we could make last weekend never happen, I could, but sadly, I can't. I better get going now before your mom kicks me out."

"Only if it's for those and sleepovers with just Evie, I don't know about having more than one friend over for a while though," Regina replied. "Is that fair, girls?"

Mal and Evie looked at each other before nodding. "Yes, ma'am." they then agreed to her.

"Good girls," Regina smiled and nodded. "Mal, have you eaten dinner yet?"

"No, I haven't actually," Mal replied. "Would it be too much trouble if I had dinner with you and your family?"

"All right," Regina smiled. "I'll set another plate at the table. I just hope you don't mind Graham's company."

Mal stuck her tongue out with an eye roll when Regina wasn't looking, making Evie giggle a bit, then Regina went to the kitchen to fix up another plate for dinner. Evie smiled as she led Mal back over to the sink to wash up for dinner and soon went to sit down with Henry until Mal was done washing up for dinner. Graham appeared to be missing from the dinner table.

* * *

"No, Anna, I don't think I can make it this weekend," Graham said as he was on his phone just as Mal found him in the hallway. "I still haven't been able to ask the question, plus Henry and Evie are still in school for a while. How about next weekend? All right... Talk to you later. Bye." he then added before hanging up and turning around, flinching slightly at the sight of Mal.

"Hello, Graham." Mal greeted the bearded man.

"Oh... Hello there, Mal," Graham replied. "I was just talking to a dear friend from Hyperion City."

"A dear friend, huh?" Mal asked, almost suspiciously.

"Well, it's actually kind of a surprise," Graham replied. "I don't want Regina, Evie, and Henry to know about it."

"Mm-hmm..." Mal nodded. "So who is this Anna person anyway?"

"She's... She's a new partner of mine in Hyperion City," Graham explained. "I was hoping to ask Regina a very important and special question and I'm going to move the family down there maybe before Christmas."

"Moving...?" Mal frowned.

"Yes," Graham nodded. "I think it would be very good for them. Evie and Henry have been in Auradon for their whole lives and Regina could use a new change of pace, especially being mayor of a town like this. You understand, right?"

"You... You can't take them away from me like that!" Mal cried out.

"Take them away from you? I'm sorry, Mal, but you're not apart of this family," Graham said to the girl. "You can't tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm scheduled to be stationed down there and I need to get there before January and I'm going to go. It's not like Regina is going to say no to my proposal, so you might as well make some new friends."

"You don't have to be nasty about it." Mal firmly pouted, not liking Graham's tone at all.

"I'm sorry, dear, but you have to learn that in the real world, not everybody gets a happy ending," Graham told her. "Besides, you can always make new friends."

"The Mills are more than just friends to me," Mal defended. "They feel like a real family to me. More than my mom, especially since we grew more and more detached from each other ever since my father left and my sister died. Surely you can understand that."

"Yes, I'm sure your life story is sad, but sometimes business comes first," Graham replied. "I never had much of a family myself before either."

"You don't feel bad for me, why should I feel bad for you?" Mal huffed at that flimsy excuse.

"Look, I'm trying to be nice, but you're making this rather difficult," Graham told her. "Why don't we go back to dinner, huh?"

"...Very well." Mal replied firmly.

Graham nodded and soon walked on ahead. Mal sighed and soon went to join him at the table with the Mills family. The dinner was very delicious and perfect, but Mal still had an aching feeling about what Graham was saying, but she was glad that she made amends with the Mills family before things would get uglier than they already were, such as the move.

* * *

After dinner, Evie soon began to walk Mal back home. "So before the last school day before the semester ends, there's that banquet dinner I told you about," she then said. "It'll be one big final game against the Sherwood kids."

"Are they common rivals?" Mal asked. "Everyone talks about them like they're some kind of big deal."

"They're pretty huge, yeah, probably not as much as The Pirates or The Fighting Monkeys, but pretty big," Evie nodded. "I heard that their sports coach can beat Ms. Merida in archery and that's not very easy to do."

"Oh, I believe it," Mal chuckled. "That lady's pretty brave and scary sometimes."

"So, if you want, you can come with us," Evie then said. "I really think you should come. Almost everyone from school will be there."

"Sure, I'll come, but only with you guys," Mal smiled. "I don't know if my mother would find it very interesting though."

"Your mother is an interesting case," Evie remarked. "No offense of course."

"Oh, totally none taken..." Mal reassured. "I wonder about her myself sometimes."

"Don't tell my mom this, but I hope she never marries Graham," Evie pouted. "I don't know why, but I don't like him."

"...Because he's not your dad." Mal guessed.

"...Yeah, I suppose that's true," Evie said softly. "I really miss my dad."

"I know how you feel... I miss my dad a lot right now... My sister too," Mal said as she wrapped her arm around Evie to hug her. "But I have another one right here which is one of the few things that I like about Auradon."

"Oh, Mal..." Evie smiled, sounding touched and comforted by that sentiment.

The two girls smiled warmly at each other. They soon split up for the time being and even though Mal had to come back home, she held her head up high and tried to keep positive.

* * *

Sometime soon passed and it was the morning of the big night against Sherwood. Everybody was getting ready in their own special way.

"Big night tonight, son?" Adam smiled at Ben warmly.

"You know it, Dad," Ben smiled back. "I'm glad you and Mom are gonna come see it. It's like an early Christmas present."

"As long as there's Christmas, family and friendship are the greatest gifts you and your sister will receive." Belle smiled at Ben before she hugged him tightly, planting a few kisses on his cheek.

"Heh... Thanks, Mom," Ben blushed. "I can't wait until you meet Mal too."

"Ah, yes, your girlfriend," Adam nodded. "It's going to be a great night for everybody."

"That won't be necessary, Mal," Regina's voice soon said as the three kids looked up and over to see the woman coming inside, wiping one of her eyes. "I'm sorry I lost my temper, but... There was quite a rager, as you young people say, going on here and that was mostly what I was mad about."

"Heh... Yeah... I couldn't blame ya, Ms. Mills," Mal nodded in understanding. "I'd probably be pissed too if my kid had something like that going on in MY house."

"Mal, don't say 'pissed'," Regina scolded briefly before smiling a bit. "And I forgive you too."

"So... Uh... Am I still allowed to come over and hang out then?" Mal asked.

"I'm so excited!" Ben beamed as he wore his best suit.

"Oh, Ben, you look so handsome and mature," Belle smiled warmly. "Like a very young king."

"Thanks, Mom." Ben smiled back a bit bashfully.

Clarice soon came downstairs, running across the floor, then hugged her older brother's legs.

"Ah... Hello there, Lady Clarice," Ben greeted as he knelt down to his little sister's height after she let go of him, pretending to tip his hat to her. "Would you care to escort me to school for a wonderful family dinner and meeting with the children of Sherwood?"

"Yes, sir, King Benny," Clarice beamed before she curtsied as Belle and Adam looked endeared and touched by their children's behavior towards each other. "Provided that King Daddy drives us over and I get to have ice cream tonight~"

"You may, but just one bowl full," Belle smiled down at her daughter. "I don't want you to get an ice cream headache."

"Yes, Mama~" Clarice then smiled back and nodded.

"Good girl~" Belle beamed. "Now, let's get ready to go and meet everybody down at the school."

"I'd love nothing better than that offer, my dear," Adam smiled as he offered her his arm before she linked her arm into his and Ben took Clarice's hand. "We're all in our Sunday best and we should head on down and get ready for Christmas tomorrow."

"Yay! Christmas!" Clarice cheered.

The family chuckled as they soon left in Adam's car and they soon drove down to the school together.

* * *

At the Ignus house, Mal wore what she wore for her and Ben's picnic date, including the black jacket with golden bracelets and black boots. She was sitting in the living room, waiting for her ride to come and get her.

"Have fun with your friends, dear." Ciara told her daughter as she left.

"Thanks, Mom, I'll see you later." Mal sighed as some things didn't change, but at least she was friends with Evie and her family again.

Ciara gave Mal some money and soon walked off back inside as the horn honked outside. Mal put a polite smile on for her mother before going to meet the Mills family in the car. Evie wore a dark blue dress with a golden starred necklace and a rather large and fluffy skirt and she had on a red apple/heart shaped necklace and golden shoes and had on a sparkling and glittering tiara. Henry smiled at both as he sat in the middle, wearing a black suit with a red tie.

"You all look so darling," Regina smiled as she looked in the backseat with Graham sitting across from her in the front passenger seat. "Let's all have a fun time."

Mal, Evie, and Henry smiled back, though Mal's smile faded as she noticed Graham, but she didn't say anything. This was going to be an interesting evening for sure.


	20. Chapter 20

Finally, it was here. The biggest night of the school semester, not to mention the final event before school would be out of session until after New Year's Day. Thousands of cars were parked and many students came with their respective parents and guardians. Ms. Blanchard beamed as she joined the event before seeing David Nolan from the animal shelter coming along too and she soon decided to go talk with him about tonight's events.

"Good evening, Ms. Blanchard." David greeted the woman.

"Yes, good evening, Mr. Nolan," Ms. Blanchard nodded at him with a cheerful looking smile, almost looking like a cute princess in a fairy tale. "It's such an exciting evening, especially for the kids, though hopefully they don't pick fights with the Sherwood kids."

"That does sound like it might take a miracle," David replied. "I had nothing planned for tonight, so I thought I'd come check it out, see what's going on."

"Oh?" Ms. Blanchard smiled.

"And to see certain people..." David then smiled back, nodding before looking bashul.

"Oh..." Ms. Blanchard then said.

"And maybe... See you..." David soon said, smiling bashfully.

"Oh~..." Ms. Blanchard blushed back, smiling back warmly.

The two adults looked at each other bashfully and warmly as they followed the parents and students into the school as the big night was just about to begin.

* * *

Headmistress Fairgood smiled and greeted several adults at the door, shaking hands with them. "Good evening, glad you could make it. Your son and/or daughter is a great asset to our school. Good evening, glad you could make it. Your son and/or daughter is a great asset to our school." she then said to nearly every parent she met who ran into her.

Jane's eyes darted around as she hid behind the lockers and was looking around nervously as she hid away. She then flinched and yelped as someone tapped her shoulder before turning around and squealing. Wendy giggled as she was shown to be right behind Jane and the two best friends shared a loving hug together.

* * *

A black-haired tall woman smiled as she brushed Doug's hair and he looked up and bashfully up to her after he was more proper and cleaner looking. "There you go, Dougie, cute as a button~" she then smiled.

"Thanks, Mom." Doug replied.

The shorter man between them, wearing a purple cap on his head, smiled and gave Doug two thumbs up at the teenage boy.

"Thanks, Dad." Doug smiled.

* * *

"Dad, I can't wait to show you how good I am at Gym Class!" Gil laughed as he grabbed a black-haired strong man by his arm as he walked with a blonde-haired woman. "No one in school is as strong as I am!"

"I believe it, son," The man smiled proudly. "You make me very proud, growing up big and strong just like your old man."

"Not to mention very handsome~" The blonde woman giggled as she hugged his strong arm as they followed him over to the school gym.

* * *

Ben smiled as he stood between his parents and little sister as they were on their way to the school next before flinching as they heard tires squealing. The French family then quickly bolted out of the way because they knew exactly what that noise meant. They also heard a very loud car horn and soon came in a car known as a Panther De Ville.

As soon as the car stopped, the passenger door flung open and out came Carlos, fleeing for his life before he landed on the ground and kissed it heavenly. "Land! Oh, sweet land..." he then said in sweet relief.

"I see that Ms. de Vil is here." Belle muttered to Adam who nodded in agreement with her.

"No one will call that for long, I'm engaged," Cruella said as she stepped out of her car, taking out a cigarette and looked around. "Carlos, dahling, help Mummy get a light~"

Carlos soon walked on over and held out a lighter, lifting it up in the air and lit his mother's cigarette.

"Ah, that's a very good boy~" Cruella cooed and patted him on the head. "You make Mummy very proud of you, dahling~"

"Hooray for me." Carlos snarked to himself.

"Hey, Carlos." Ben smiled and nodded his head at the freckled boy.

"Sup, Ben?" Carlos nodded along.

"Think you'll still try out for football?" Ben then smirked playfully.

"You're hilarious." Carlos rolled his eyes.

Audrey, Ivy, and Coraline giggled as they were sharing some juicy gossip together as their mothers were bonded together.

"Hey, Ivy, can I hang out with you and your friends?" A brown-haired girl with pigtails and glasses asked as she came over to the three mean girls.

"No..." Ivy snorted and scoffed. "Get outta here, Dizzy. I might catch your geekiness."

Dizzy pouted and deeply frowned before she walked away from her older sister.

"I can't believe you two are related." Audrey wrinkled her nose.

"Tell me about it..." Ivy rolled her eyes. "I was hoping I could mold my little sister once I was told I was going to have one into being super cool and popular, but instead, we're looking at Future Queen of The Chess Club."

The three girls then laughed at that together, sounding very obnoxious and snotty as always.

Audrey's mother, Mrs. Aurora Thornley, soon came by, leaning in a bit with a concerned look on her face before smiling obliviously. "Sweetie, I hope you and your friends are playing nice~" she then said angelically.

"Yes, Mother, of course we are~" Audrey replied innocently.

"We're perfect little angels, Mrs. Thornley!" Ivy added. "Really we are!"

"You could say I'm a Princess of Good Hearts~" Coraline nodded.

Aurora nodded and soon kept on walking.

"Parents are so easy sometimes~" Audrey smirked to the other girls.

"Totally~" Ivy and Coraline nodded in agreement.

The three girls then laughed together, sounding very shrill and obnoxious, especially to other students who knew their true nature very well.

* * *

"So, why don't you and I get together and watch a movie?" Tilly smirked as she was talking to a boy who was known as Jace Badun.

"Ah... Doll, I dunno if that's a good idea..." The boy grinned nervously, stepping backwards bashfully.

"C'mon, what're you afraid of?" Tilly smirked as she came closer, reaching out to stroke his face with her hand, looking eager and hopeful. "I ain't got cooties or nuthin'."

"Oh... Erm... Uh... I think I... Um... I think I left something on the stove..." Jace grinned nervously before bolting off suddenly.

"What is the deal with everybody?!" Tilly complained. "Is it my breath?"

"Boys... They never grow up really, they just grow old..." A girl with golden blonde hair and glasses chuckled as she was reading a book where she sat.

"Uh... Yeah..." Tilly nodded as she turned around to the girl. "I swear, a lot of boys around school treat me like I'm invisible. I just don't know what I'm doin' wrong or if I even deserve friends. Sometimes I think about running away before I hurt anyone else," she then sighed about herself. "I know what you're thinking... Crazy Tilly, totally bonkers, absolutely mad."

"Yeah, kinda," The bespectaled girl smiled innocently. "But all the best people are. You're definitely a lot more interesting than most of the people I know back in Sherwood."

"Oh..." Tilly smiled back shyly. "I was wondering why you didn't look familiar... Well... Since you're a Sherwood girl and I'm an Auradon girl, I suppose I should get out of your way."

"I don't mind the company regardless of school rivalry or not," The girl reassured. "You seem like you'd be great company."

"Oh... Um... Thank you," Tilly nodded. "Erm... I don't believe I got your name?" she then prompted.

"Oh, I'm Robyn with a Y." The girl replied.

"'Yobin'?" Tilly guessed, looking puzzled.

"Not quite." Robyn smiled, amused from what she said from that.

"Got it." Tilly smiled back, bashfully, feeling a close bond with Robyn, even if they didn't share the same school together.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mal and the Mills family were observing the sights and sounds of the school banquet.

"Man, everybody's here." Mal commented as she saw a buffet table and decided to take one of the strawberries, eating it up instantly.

Jay and Carlos made it over to the chocolate fountain and stuck their heads under it, eating up gladly and happily. Some others, such as Audrey, felt deeply repulsed by what they were doing and she rolled her eyes with a scoff and put her snooty nose in the air.

"We told you so~" Henry and Evie replied innocently.

"Okay, very funny," Mal smirked at them. "I guess I just didn't expect two schools coming together would look so huge."

"Ah, yes, the final game of the Fall semester is always the biggest night of the school year," Evie nodded. "Hopefully that mess that The James Barrie Pirates will be cleaned up and forgotten about by the next semester."

"I can't believe that they vandalized school property like that," Mal groaned. "I mean, my old school would do something like that, but... We were less than perfect."

"Your old school sounds like a prison sometimes." Henry commented.

"It pretty much was most of the time, Henry," Mal nodded at the younger boy. "I had a few friends, sure, but they were sometimes fair weather friends."

"What does that mean?" Henry asked.

"Okay, um... Uh... How do I explain this?" Mal paused thoughtfully.

"Well, you remember how you were almost friends with Nicholas and Ava Zimmer once, but they were just using you so that they wouldn't get in trouble and blame you like with those candy bars at Mr. Clark's pharmacy?" Evie spoke up, helping Mal out a little bit.

Henry paused briefly before nodding.

"Well, those would be fair weather friends," Evie then explained. "A fair weather friend is a person who stops being a friend in times of difficulty."

"Oh..." Henry then said. "Well, I don't think Mal is a fair weather friend to you, Evie. I think she's the best friend you could ever ask for and the same with Evie for you, Mal."

"Aww~" Mal and Evie beamed at Henry's thoughts about their friendship. "You're so sweet."

"Yeah... That's what they tell me." Henry smiled innocently.

"And modest too." Mal chuckled before ruffling up Henry's hair a little bit.

Henry laughed a little and smiled. Regina smiled warmly as she watched the bonding before she heard a voice calling to her.

"Regina...?"

"Hm?" Regina blinked before she looked around curiously.

"Regina?" A man with diamond-like blue eyes and brunette scruffy hair with a matching beard spoke up as he stood up from one table with a black-haired boy who sat across from him as he approached the Mayor of Auradon Heights before she suddenly hugged her as she gasped and hugged him back instantly. "Oh... I thought that that was you."

"My, oh, my... Robin Bedford as I live and breathe," Regina replied as she hugged him back. "It's been a very long time, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has," The man nodded with a small, warm smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Regina smiled back. "I guess I should've expected to see you here, but I'm glad we ran into each other."

"Evie, who is that man?" Mal asked her best friend.

"I'd like to know that too." Henry added to his big sister.

"I... I feel like I should know, but I'm not fully certain." Evie replied.

Regina soon looked over to her children and gestured for them to come forward. Henry and Evie shrugged at each other and decided to make way over there.

"Excuse me, Mal, we'll be right back." Evie told her best friend, walking over with Henry since this seemed important.

"Oh, sure... Why would I mind?" Mal shrugged nonchalantly. She then looked over and flinched nervously once she saw Ben coming over with a hopeful smile.

* * *

"Hey, Mal," Ben smiled warmly. "Having a good night so far?"

"It's very... Uh... It's very interesting," Mal nodded. "It'd be a little bit nicer if my mom decided to show up rather than being lazy, I guess."

"Oh, I don't think she's lazy, just busy," Ben shrugged as he didn't know much about Mal's family life, but then smiled. "Why don't you come meet my family?"

"Uh... Erm... Okay..." Mal said nervously as she followed him over, feeling like she had no other real choice though, feeling and looking desperate to get out of this sticky situation. "Evie! Help!" she then whispered loudly and panicky, though her pleas would fall on deaf ears.

"Don't be nervous," Ben soothed Mal as best as he could. "All you have to do is sit there and look beautiful. No problem there."

"Smile!" Someone called out as Ben had Mal sit down with his family as he pulled out a chair for her like a gentleman and suddenly, they had their picture taken with a camera.

"Well... Looks like the school newspaper already has a new story for the new semester." Ben chuckled to himself.

Belle and Adam also laughed along while Clarice beamed in excitement.

"Oh, by the way, this is my new girlfriend." Ben introduced.

"Oh... I never wanted to say anything, but I always thought that Audrey was a little self-absorbed with a fake smile and kind of a kiss-up." Belle remarked.

"Heh... I can agree with you on that, Mrs. French." Mal nodded bashfully.

"So... This is Mal," Ben then introduced his parents. "The new girl in town. My girlfriend."

"Hi." Belle smiled.

"Hi." Mal smiled back.

"I was thinking maybe she can join us for dinner since her mother couldn't make it." Ben advised.

"Of course!" Adam replied. "Any friend of Ben's can be a friend of ours."

"I like your hair," Clarice said to Mal. "It's very colorful."

"Um, thank you." Mal replied.

"My little sister, Clarice." Ben introduced warmly.

"I'm so glad to meet Benny's new girlfriend," Clarice beamed. "You're so much better and more cooler than Audrey."

"Heh... Yeah... Girlfriend..." Mal nodded as she forced a grin on her face.

"It's so exciting," Ben beamed. "I thought I'd have a hard time finding love again after what happened to Audrey, but you've made this school year more worth it. I'm so glad that you got to move into Auradon Heights, Mal."

Mal smiled, trying to be polite and keep up appearances. "Ben... I think I have to tell you something..." she then said.

"Maybe after the band plays and dinner is served," Ben suggested. "There's so much buzz going on right now."

"Erm... All right..." Mal nodded, trying to remain calm and patient before she took out her phone and texted "SOS" to Evie as she began to sweat from the anxiety of procrastination in not telling Ben what was going on with her sooner.

Speaking of Evie, she smiled politely as she sat at a table with her mother and the man named Robin and his son who was there and was named Roland. Henry just looked a little confused as he joined his family while Regina and Robin reunited and talked.

Evie then shivered as she felt her phone vibrate before she took it out and saw a text from Mal before she stood up, clearing her throat. "Mom, may I be excused to go check on Mal?" she then asked. "It's a... Um... A friendship emergency."

"All right, Evie, go ahead," Regina nodded. "And if you see Graham, tell him where we are so he knows where to sit."

"Yes, Mom." Evie nodded and she soon went to go and help out her best friend.

"I just can't believe I'm seeing you again after all these years." Regina said softly.

"I can't believe it either," Robin nodded before looking over to Henry. "And I see he's become a happy, healthy, young man since the last time I saw you."

"Yes, he certainly has." Regina nodded.

"Mom, I don't wanna be rude, but who is this guy?" Henry asked. "I mean... You personally know someone from Sherwood?"

"Oh, my goodness! You must feel so confused." Regina realized.

"Yeah." Henry nodded.

"Well, it actually all started back on the morning of May 30th, 10 years ago." Regina began with a small smirk.

"That's my birthday." Henry realized.

"Yes, it is," Regina nodded. "Well, you see... The day you were born got off to a pretty normal start. My water broke, we called your grandmother, she came over to watch your older sister. Your father drove me over to the hospital in the old car and that was when 'it' happened."

"It?" Henry blinked curiously.

"Indeed," Regina smiled. "We were afraid you were going to be born on the side of the road, but thankfully, a new car pulled up. One I hadn't seen before. It was a friendly and handsome looking man and his wife with their twin children, Roland and Robyn Jr, in the backseat as they were driving through town to get back into Sherwood after a family camping trip."

"Handsome?" Robin smirked playfully.

"I mean... Wholesome..." Regina smiled bashfully. "It was going to take a lot of trial and error, but when your father told them what was going on, they offered to give us a ride to the hospital. Everything was looking fine again, but you weren't a very patient baby. We weren't going to make it to the hospital."

"Oh, my gosh..." Henry whispered in amazement.

"The kind and helpful man and woman cleared their car, evacuating everybody inside, and you were soon delivered by them," Regina then told Henry with a warm smile towards Robin. "They were so cool under pressure."

"All in a day's work." Robin chuckled to Regina.

"You were delivered right there in a new friend's car," Regina then told Henry proudly as she patted him on the head before sighing. "When your father and I saw you for the first time... Our hearts just melted."

"Dad got to meet me?" Henry asked.

"Yes, your father met you," Regina nodded. "He was very proud to have his own prince for his little princess back home."

"Speaking of which... Where is Daniel?" Robin asked Regina. "You two didn't get divorced, did you? You just seemed so happy together like nothing could keep you apart."

"...There was an incident," Regina said softly. "I'm afraid that Daniel is no longer with us."

"Oh... I-I'm so sorry..." Robin replied.

Henry soon hugged his mother emotionally. Regina frowned softly and hugged him back, lightly stroking his hair, trying not to get too choked up as they were in public.

"...I'm afraid I lost Marian too." Robin then said.

"No..." Regina replied, turning to him in dismay.

Robin nodded at the sad and hurtful truth.

"Oh, my gosh... I'm sorry..." Regina frowned. "What happened to her? If you don't mind me asking."

"She got very sick one time five years ago," Robin explained with a very tender and somber voice. "I visited her every day in the hospital with roses... Until her final days."

"Oh, Robin..." Regina frowned. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"I'm sorry for your loss too." Robin frowned back.

"They're both in better places and watching over us, especially tonight," Henry spoke up. "They wouldn't want you to be sad."

"Thank you, Henry..." Regina smiled softly and wearily.

"Why don't I buy you a drink?" Robin offered.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Regina replied bashfully.

"I want to," Robin insisted as he nodded. "I'll buy you a drink too, Henry."

"Gimme a milk," Henry said, slamming the top of the table like a bar table. "Chocolate."

"How about we add 'please' to your order?" Robin smirked playfully.

"Please then, Mr. Bedford." Henry nodded.

"That's a good boy." Robin approved.

Regina laughed softly with a small smile.

* * *

_**MEANWHILE...** _

"Mal, would you wear my ring?" Ben offered.

"Um... Not now," Mal replied nervously, her eyes darting around anxiously, waiting for Evie to come over and save her. "I think it would probably just fall right off of me."

Evie soon came over to the French family's table which included Mal. "Um... Hello there, Mr. and Mrs. French... Clarice..." she then smiled with a small nod and greeted the family.

"Hello, Evelyn." Belle and Adam smiled back.

"Hiya, Evie!" Clarice piped up.

Mal looked relieved that Evie got her text and made it over.

"I just gotta ask Mal something real quick and I'll bring her right back," Evie told the family before she helped Mal up and out of her seat and pushed the other girl out of eye and earshot of the table. "What's going on? I thought you'd be excited to have dinner with your boyfriend and his family."

"It's kind of a funny, complicated story about that..." Mal smiled nervously. "I can't keep this up any longer."

"What is it, Mal?" Evie frowned. "You've been acting funny ever since Ben started noticing you and allowed you to be his new girlfriend. Many girls would kill to be in your shoes right now."

"Yeah, I figured..." Mal said as her eyes darted around again.

"What is it?" Evie soon asked as the marching band came over to perform for the school dinner.

"Okay... You're my new best friend, so I trust you to keep this secret and help me out with it..." Mal said, taking a deep breath just as the band began to play music for everybody, drowning out her words. "I wanna break-up with Ben."

"What?" Evie asked, putting her hand to her ear as she didn't quite hear that.

"I wanna break-up with Ben!" Mal repeated, trying to sound louder.

"WHAT?!" Evie asked, still unable to hear her before she looked over at the band, most specifically, Doug to cut the music just for a minute.

Doug nodded and had the band stop playing for now, but that was unfortunately when Mal blurted out what was on her mind for a very long school semester.

" **I DON'T WANNA BE BEN'S GIRLFRIEND ANYMORE!** "

Unfortunately for Mal, Evie did hear her, however, everyone else did. Everyone in the whole school soon looked at Mal in complete shock. Their gazes felt like daggers pinning her on the spot as Evie cupped her mouth, frowning and deeply concerned for her friend's reputation. One of the band members soon used her trombone and played the traditional "Wah, Wah, Wah" music as if to add more to Mal's pain and humiliation.

"Not now, Hannah." Doug scolded the trombone player who smiled sheepishly at him.

The adults looked just as shocked and dismayed as the kids.

"...You don't wanna be my girlfriend?" Ben frowned as he came over to Mal, looking deeply upset, though he looked like he was trying to fight to find the strength deep within himself not to cry, but he was hurt and cut deeply.

"Ben, I'm sorry," Mal frowned as she blinked with tears in her eyes. "I didn't want to hurt you... I just-"

"Well, you just did," Ben frowned back, looking firm now, but his voice still broke from the sadness he felt deep down inside. "In front of everybody... Well... I hope you got what you wanted. I thought you were different."

"Ben, please!" Mal cried out. "I didn't want to hurt you! I still like you and you're kinda cool, I'm just not in love with you!"

Audrey smirked as she looked at Ivy and Coraline before they snuck away from their table with their parents to do something dark and fiendish.

"Ben, please..." Mal frowned.

"I need to be alone right now." Ben replied firmly and sadly as he turned away and Mal could had sworn she saw a tear rolling down his cheek as he turned away.

"Ben..." Mal gasped as she felt her heart shattering inside.

"No... It's okay... You're finally free," Ben said as he went to go back over to his family. "All of those feelings are just gone forever more... I'll find a different happy ending and I think you can do the same."

Mal trembled a bit as she turned away, burying her face in her hands as she cried. She just embarrassed both herself and Ben in front of the whole school. Not to mention that, but a different one who had come to visit that night as well. Evie came to comfort Mal, not only her though, Jay and Carlos soon came to help out.

"Oh... Mal... I'm so sorry... I wish I could make this up to you." Evie frowned to her new best friend.

"It's okay," Mal sniffled and sighed. "That's just what I get for procrastinating. Can I have some alone time?"

"Are you sure?" Jay asked.

"Yeah," Mal replied. "I need to go and wipe the egg off of my face."

"...All right," Carlos said. "You should know though, Evie's not just here for you. We are too."

"Yeah... We can be like a family." Jay added with a smile.

"Oh... Thank you guys so much," Mal smiled back, albeit sadly before she walked off. "Excuse me."

Evie, Jay, and Carlos nodded as they let Mal go off on her own to let her feelings out instead of keeping them inside. No doubt this was very painful.

* * *

"On that note..." Graham soon said as he came to see Regina. "Regina, I have to tell you something."

"Yes, Graham?" Regina asked with a weary sigh, feeling just so bad for Mal like a more positive mother figure than Mal's own mother.

"I'm afraid I can't stay in Auradon Heights much longer," Graham said to Regina. "I can see that this town needs you though, especially after what just happened to Malissa."

"Graham... What're you saying...?" Regina asked.

"I'm moving to Hyperion City," Graham soon confessed. "I've been stationed down there and I would be so blessed and honored if you would come there with me. Of course, Evelyn and Henry too."

Evie overheard the conversation, not meaning to eavesdrop, but couldn't help listen to what was going on between her mother and the town sheriff.

"...I know how much Auradon means a lot to you," Graham said softly. "But if you want... I can decline the offer so we can stay here... I don't have to go to Hyperion City if you don't want me to, and-"

"...You can't stay here, Graham," Regina replied softly. "You've been offered the job of your dreams and there's no turning back now."

Graham frowned softly and patiently as he let her talk.

"And just think of all those city people who break the law every day that still need someone strong and protective like you to put them away and keep the citizens safe." Regina then continued with a small smile, trying to stay strong.

"Actually, those lawbreakers are an invaluable piece of the puzzle in the study of crime and punishment, but yes, we do have our fingers crossed that there are still a few more out there for me to handcuff and prosecute," Graham replied calmly. "What about you? What are you gonna do?" he then asked.

"...This might come as a shock to you, Graham, but... I can't move to Hyperion and I can't make Evie and Henry leave Auradon either." Regina said.

Graham nodded as he felt like he should had expected that from her. "I wouldn't have let you even if you tried," he then said. "You've built something special here, Regina, with your little family, and you all deserve to see where it takes you. I'm so proud of you."

"I'm so proud of you," Regina said with a sad smile, nodding in agreement. "I'd like to think that we helped each other to get here."

"I know that we do." Graham said, also nodding his head.

"And when you hit the road tomorrow or whenever you go, I want you to know how grateful I am to have met you." Regina continued from there.

"I don't think I'm ever gonna meet another woman who made me feel the way that you do." Graham nodded.

"I'm sure there'll be like... Some other woman," Regina replied softly before chuckling weakly. "Somewhere."

Graham merely sighed and bowed his head. "Can't say that we didn't try." he then said to her.

"I love you, Graham." Regina said.

"I love you too," Graham replied. "Even Evelyn and Henry as much as I possibly could had."

The two looked at each other and soon decided to share one last kiss together. Regina soon came closer beside him and decided to give him one last hug to take it all in. Graham wrapped his arm around her, comforting her as this was the end for them as he decided that he would go to Hyperion City alone and let Regina stay in Auradon Heights of Storybrooke with Evie and Henry. Regina and Graham just had to accept that things were now longer going to get easy for them. Evie wiped her eyes as she watched her mother and admired her strength and bravery, though at least she didn't lose Graham the same way she had lost Daniel.

"To us." Graham said as he picked up a glass of sparkling cider.

"To us." Regina nodded, picking up her own glass before they clinked together to take one last drink together.

Evie frowned. She may not had liked Graham and didn't know how Henry felt about him, but she felt so sad for her mother right now. She bowed her head as tonight seemed to be getting worse and worse. Unknown to anyone though, Harry appeared to be going outside the school too after Mal had left to be alone.

"Evie, I'm going out for a little walk, I'll be right back in time for dinner though." Regina told her daughter.

"Okay, Mom," Evie nodded. "I'll keep an eye on Henry for you."

"Thank you, Evie." Regina replied as she walked off then.

"Miss Mills..." A familiar voice called.

"Oh... Good evening, Mr. Deley..." Evie greeted as she faced the school science teacher.

"May I have a word?" Mr. Deley asked then.

"Yes, sir." Evie nodded as she walked off with him before Chad was shown to be annoyed and disgusted as he seemed to be called out too.

"It seems that you two have very similar homework answers in your final assignment of the semester," Mr. Deley said to both Chad and Evie. "I think you both need to come into my classroom right now."

"Tonight?!" Chad asked. "But it's the final night of the year before the winter holidays! We don't have time to go into your classroom, sir!" he then cried out in dismay.

"We've got plenty of time, Mr. Princely!" Mr. Deley replied sharply. "Both of you, march!"

Evie gulped nervously, but nodded while Chad looked repulsed and annoyed about going along with this. "Oh, Mr. Deley? Can my little brother come too?" she then asked as Henry was alone. "I promised my mother that I would watch him."

"Hmm..." Mr. Deley glanced over at Henry. "Very well... As long as he doesn't disrupt what I have planned for you two."

"Oh, no, sir," Evie shook her head. "Henry is very quiet and responsible for his age."

Mr. Deley merely nodded and soon, they were in the classroom. "All right," he then said to Evie and Chad as they sat at tables, separated from each other so there wouldn't be easy cheating as Henry was sitting in the back, reading his favorite book so that he could occupy himself. "I hate to do this to you, but you are both in detention for the rest of the evening."

"What?!" Chad and Evie cried out.

"UNLESS!" Mr. Deley quickly added. "One of you has higher marks given on this surprise test. I have to make sure there's no cheating going on in my classroom as I don't tolerate cheaters or failures in my class. If one of you scores higher than the other, then I'll know who's not cheating and who's the innocent one. You can handle that, right?" he then asked the two students.

"Yes, sir." Chad and Evie nodded.

Mr. Deley also nodded and soon gave them both their tests and took out an hourglass and turned it upside down once he gave the two their assignments. Chad looked quite nervous and anxious while Evie tried to focus very hard. Henry looked very hopeful for Evie as he knew for a fact that his big sister wouldn't cheat, but didn't say anything as it was none of his business. Chad was biting on his eraser of his pencil. Evie looked nervous too, but probably not as bad as Chad. And so, eventually...

* * *

"Pencils down." Mr. Deley soon requested once the hourglass finished.

"Dah!" Chad yelped and soon scribbled some other things on his paper before Mr. Deley swiped his paper to look at it.

Evie then handed her paper over, looking calm, quiet, and patient.

Mr. Deley nodded as he soon looked over the papers and it was quite unanimous of who was the cheater and who was the innocent one cheated off of. "Well, children," he then said. "It's pretty unanimous..."

"Does that mean you don't know our names?" Chad asked.

Henry groaned and face-palmed Chad's rather dumb question.

"No, Mr. Princley," Mr. Deley groaned and shook his head. "It appears that Miss Mills did just fine on her test while you, unfortunately, failed."

" _Me_?! Fail?!" Chad cried out before glaring. "You know, it's your fault then!"

"Oh?" Mr. Deley replied sternly, narrowing his eyes.

"You gave us a test on something we never had a chance to study for!" Chad then glared as he nodded with high insistence. "How is that supposed to be fair?"

Mr. Deley soon curved his lips into a smirk. "Actually, Mr. Princely, your test was a review on everything you learned in the past semester while Miss Mills was mostly given new material," he then said. "She is quite a bright student which I found to be unexpected. No offense, Miss Mills."

"Heh... None taken, Mr. Deley." Evie blushed sheepishly.

"I thought you were innocent," Mr. Deley then said. "So congratulations, Miss Mills. You're free to go."

Evie soon glared at Chad who grinned nervously with a shrug. "That's why you wanted me to do your homework," she then sneered. "You never cared about me, just my brain!"

"Well, sorry to tell you this, sister, but that's just how the world works sometimes," Chad shrugged as he stood up from his chair. "I'm a heartbreaker."

"Mr. Princely, you will stay here for a while," Mr. Deley firmly decided. "Consider it the final detention of the semester. You're free to go, Mr. and Miss Mills."

"Thank you, Mr. Deley," Evie nodded. "Come along, Henry."

"Hang on, Evie... I'm gonna punch out." Henry said before he suddenly gave Chad a swift kick in the shin.

" **AAARGH!** " Chad cried out in pain and frustration, grabbing his shin suddenly, looking like he had tears in his eyes from the pain. "Why, you dirty little son of a-"

"Don't talk about my little brother that way," Evie glared firmly as she put her arm over Henry protectively. "I think I smell chicken cooking, Henry."

"Awesome." Henry smiled as they soon left the room while Chad was left to suffer in detention.

Evie held her head up high, trying not to worry about Chad, though she felt a little heartbroken because she thought that he was her boyfriend and they were going to live happily ever after together.

"So, uh, Mr. Deley, sir... What do I have to do for detention?" Chad grinned nervously at the stricter teacher of the high school hallway of the school.

"Consider it a great cause for the school," Mr. Deley smirked before he took out a sponge with a bucket of soapy water. "Headmistress Fairgood has unlocked the door to the pool. Apparently we had vandals during our big game against The James Barrie Pirates."

"What?! But _I_ didn't do that!" Chad frowned firmly. "Why would I deface school property?!"

"I'm sure you didn't do it, Mr. Princely, but it would teach you a better-suited lesson than to make Miss Mills do your homework," Mr. Deley crossed his arms firmly, giving Chad the evil eye. "Maybe it'll teach you how to better respect others as well. Report to the pool or else you will be expelled."

Chad just groaned as he felt like he didn't deserve this, like he had done nothing wrong, but he soon did what his science teacher asked him to do.

* * *

Mal sighed sadly as she hugged her knees while staring off into the full moon. She had leftover tears in her eyes as her cheeks were stained and wet. How could tonight possibly get any worse?

"Hey, Mal~" Audrey's voice smirked.

"What do you want now, Audrey?" Mal complained as she glared sadly at The Queen Bee of Auradon.

"I just wanted to let you know it's nothing personal." Audrey smirked.

"That's what you get for dating The Queen Bee's ex-boyfriend~" Ivy smirked as well as she came beside Audrey.

"How very poor and unfortunate for you," Coraline added. "You msut feel like someone ripped your heart out of your chest and crushed it into dust, huh?"

"What's it to you?" Mal huffed.

"Ben was to good for you anyway." Audrey rolled her eyes before smirking.

Mal narrowed her eyes as she tried not to lose her temper, but her fists began to shake as she began to breathe heavily. Regina stepped out and had seen that before narrowing her eyes sharply.

"I knew you'd figure out you're bad for him, just like you are for everyone around you." Audrey soon continued as she shoved Mal aside suddenly.

"Cut it out!" Mal complained.

"What're you gonna do about it?" Audrey pouted mockingly. "Tell your mommy? Oh, that's right... She couldn't make it tonight~"

"Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo~" Coranline and Ivy cried mockingly, wiping their eyes. "Poor Mally, not even Mommy loves her~"

"HEY!" A sharp female voice called out, making all four of the girls suddenly freeze on the spot. They all then turned to see that it was Regina who glowered at them with smoldering eyes, looking like a provoked and irked Mama Bear. "That's not how you talk to my daughter!"

"D-Daughter...?" Ivy and Coraline asked in confusion.

"She called me her daughter..." Mal wondered about that herself.

"Madame Mayor, how nice and lovely to see you this evening, you look so pretty tonight," Audrey beamed. "And we're not picking on Evie, she's indoors. We're just helping Mal out in her time of need, and-"

"Oh, save it," Regina rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm a parent doesn't mean I'm going to fall for the angelic popular girl act. I know just how you girls act, you're all the same! Making yourselves look cute and innocent while you make the innocent ones angry and their anger being justified while we parents are forced to be gullible enough that you're harmless. Yeah, right!"

"Really, Madame Mayor, we have no idea what you're talking about," Audrey pouted innocently before she suddenly picked up Mal in a hug and grinned, looking like a cute little angel. "We're friends, see?"

"See?" Ivy and Coraline added as they joined in on the group hug.

"Please," Regina rolled her eyes with a smirk as she approached the girls, making them yelp and look startled, walking backwards as they began to look like they were fearing for their lives. "I know you mean girls are all the same and you can't fool me. Besides, if you keep picking on Mal or even Evie and Henry, I'm going to do something you won't soon forget~"

"W-What're you gonna do to us?" Audrey asked nervously as Ivy and Coraline cowered behind her, counting on her to protect them.

"I'm going to tell your mothers about your bad attitudes," Regina smirked. "And don't try to play innocent around them. I can be very persuasive... I've been mayor of this town for a very long time and you do not want to cross me or my family... GOT IT?!" she then added, sharply and sternly.

The girls yelped and they soon suddenly slipped and fell in the muddy snow behind them, staining their dresses. The girls then yelped and cried out from their misfortune.

"Come on, Mal, let's get you back inside," Regina said as she held out her hand to the girl to help her up on her feet better. "I think there's a roast chicken for dinner tonight."

"Ms. Mills... Why did you call me your daughter?" Mal asked softly, accepting the woman's hand as they began to go back inside the school. "I'm not your daughter."

"I'll tell you one of my secrets, Mal," Regina replied. "You're very important to Evie and Henry every time you come over, so I'll consider you as family. So whenever you come to my house, you _are_ my daughter, no matter what anyone else says. I can't make your own mother go away forever or change her for you, but you're welcome at my house any time."

Mal smiled, sniffling a bit with tears in her eyes.

"I also know just the kind of girl Audrey Thornley is," Regina then said. "Believe it or not, but I used to be just like that when I was that age. You could say that I was an evil Queen Bee in school too."

" _You_? An evil queen? Nah..." Mal replied as they went to go inside.

The two laughed together for a bit before Mal suddenly shivered.

"Phew... It's pretty cold out here..." Mal trembled nervously.

Suddenly, someone came up behind her and wrapped her up in a dark red coat.

"Oh..." Mal blinked. "Thank you."

"Didn't want ye to freeze..." Harry smiled bashfully.

"Oh... Well, thank you," Mal blushed as she looked back at him. "...It's Harry, right?"

"Aye, 'tis true," Harry nodded as he removed his hat and bowed a little in his stance. "I'm sorry to hear about yer break-up with Ben. Are ye going to be okay about that?"

"Yes, I should be fine," Mal replied, feeling a strong connection with Harry, even if he was one of Uma's cronies. "You're here with your family then?"

"Most of them," Harry said. "My parents are lookin' after leetle Hope tonight since she has a cold."

"Hope?" Mal asked curiously.

"Me youngest sister," Harry said. "Ye see, there's me and Harriet, we're the older ones, but she's older by five minutes, then there's my other sister CJ who's a couple of years younger than us, and then there's Baby Hope. I know a lot 'bout girls since I have so many seesters~"

"Heh... Funny thing, those sisters..." Mal smiled softly.

Harry smiled back as Regina looked knowingly between the younger ones as they made their way back inside. It would be quite the story in the future, wouldn't it?

**_To Be Continued..._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! That took a lot out of me. I just hope this chapter's not too cluttered for you guys. Well, guys, I hope you enjoyed this story. Be sure to stay tuned for the sequel Ways to be Wicked to be uploaded after today in the future next year! Hopefully 2021 is a lot more tolerable than 2020, who would've thought we'd fall apart as a species so quickly after this year, huh? If you have ideas, you can share them with me for the sequel because so far I don't have a whole lot of plans just yet since I've worked on this chapter shortly after the last one was uploaded and finished updating it on December 20th. Not sure if there's anything more to that, but Read & Review until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys, PerkyGoth14 here trying out a new experiment to combine my two favorite obsessions in some way. What did you think of that? Should I change anything, do you guys have any ideas to help me out? Let me know in the comments, I did my best because I love both of these franchises and I like to think that they're combined in some way, some episodes in Once Upon a Time feels like a prequel to Descendants in some way. Also, a personal note: Maleficent's name in this story being Ciara comes from Carabosse who was the Dark Fairy in the original Sleeping Beauty fairy tale if anyone is wondering. Anyway, I hope you liked this and let me know if you'd like to see more or have any ideas for future chapters, I'd appreciate it!


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